Downtime
by southernwolf16
Summary: M-21.exe has stopped working. Or alternately, the Werewolf Island aftercare story nobody asked for. Part 1 of "The Lost Cub".
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE:**

First off, to everyone who took the time to read the other works in this series, thank you. It helps knowing there are people who appreciate what I write.

Second, I'd like to apologize for confusing people. Had I been able to write this particular story last year then this series should have just been a single story entitled "The Lost Cub", with all the separate stories as chapters under it. But in all honesty, had I forced myself to write this first I would never have gotten the other stories done because I was not ready to flesh out this one. Thinking this and that happened is a lot easier than actually writing things down into a coherent story.

Will I fix this and turn the series into a single story? I'm not sure. Right now, I'd rather concentrate on writing the other stories. I will finish Downtime and move the series forward til I get to "A Show of Power" and beyond.

And with that, here it is, the real beginning of everything.

* * *

The mist that shrouded the Werewolf Island dissipated into crystal shards, falling around them like blood-colored snow.

 _Is it over?_ M-21 raised his head to the sky. What little remained of his strength gradually returned, and it was barely enough to keep him upright. M-21 did his best not to sway where he stood.

 _Not now, please._

"The same thing's happening around the island," Tao said after listening to the report from Kentas' group.

"Does this mean Maduke lost?" Regis asked.

"There's only one way to find out." Takeo turned to Lunark. "We better head back now."

"Go. And thank you for your help." Lunark glanced at M-21, silently hoping that he would survive this ordeal intact.

M-21 pushed himself onward with the rest of RK, continuing to ignore the dull ache in his chest that began to bother him following the fight with the werewolf warriors. He almost lost his footing once or twice, except no one saw it since he was lagging behind the group. By the time they reached the battlefield, M-21's vision was already swimming and the dull ache had intensified enough to steal his breath. He was cold and not because he was shirtless the whole time.

M-21 knew there was something seriously wrong with him. Although it would have to wait, not when there were enemies who could still be lurking about. M-21 concentrated on the scene before him instead. There was no trace of Maduke. Muzaka and that female werewolf named Garda were nowhere in sight as well. However, the Lord, Raizel and Frankenstein did not display any hostility in their stances.

It was over. They had won. Yet the victory was hollow, what with Raizel using his already scant life force and the werewolf race possibly suffering cataclysmic loss of lives.

The Lord was speaking to Raizel but for the life of him, M-21 could not understand a word of it. Nothing made sense anymore. Everything hurt, his eyesight darkening at the edges as his heart clenched in his chest. M-21 refused to yield to the pain and exhaustion racking his body.

After the brief exchange with Raizel and Frankenstein, the Lord flew to the sky and departed with the other Clan Leaders.

It was really over. M-21 drew an agonizing breath as he tried to survey everyone with his failing sight.

 _Everyone's safe now. We can go…_

Frankenstein approached Raizel. "Master, it's time to head—"

 _…home._ M-21 succumbed to unconsciousness, falling backward as he did so. He was only saved from crashing down by Takeo catching him by the shoulders.

Takeo nearly recoiled at how icy M-21 was to the touch. "M-21!"

Tao rushed to help Takeo lower M-21 to the ground. Takeo stripped off his coat and covered M-21 with it in the hopes that it could somehow warm him up. M-21 only shivered in response.

"M-21…" Tao removed M-21's mask and tapped his cheek a few times. "He's unresponsive."

Frankenstein hurried towards M-21, berating himself for not sparing a few minutes to examine him beforehand. M-21's very rapid pulse, cold and clammy skin and irregular breathing were not reassuring in the slightest. Frankenstein lifted M-21 and had to swallow his anger when he realized that M-21 weighed less than he should. "Tell me you came here with transportation—"

"We brought one of the choppers." Takeo proceeded to lead everyone in the direction where said vehicle was located.

Tao did not move. "Boss, please let me stay so I can find data—"

Frankenstein cut him off. "Take someone with you—"

"I'll go with him," Rael volunteered.

Tao was already on his communication device. He made contact at last as the rest of their party was leaving the area. "Kentas, it's Tao. We need help…"

* * *

Frankenstein had a lot to be grateful for.

Someone had the foresight to bring blankets. They used one as a mat so M-21 was not lying directly on the chopper floor, while the other they draped on him to help raise his temperature.

A few weeks ago, M-21 suggested that there should be medic bags in the choppers. He also said that the non-medical members of the household should train in performing emergency medical procedures, not just basic first aid.

Frankenstein was pleased that they were able to implement at least one of M-21's ideas. But the irony of it, Frankenstein thought as he took the medic bag from its compartment, was that M-21 will be the first person on which the medic bag's contents will be used.

There were many trivial and profound details in the grand scheme of things for which Frankenstein should be thankful. Though right now he would greatly appreciate it if they could get back to the house faster than what was possible.

Frankenstein prepared the necessary equipment and donned medical goggles and gloves. He clamped a pulse oximeter on M-21's right index finger to get a reading of his pulse rate. M-21 was having difficulty breathing despite a clear airway that Frankenstein was compelled to use the Bag Valve Mask on him.

More than thirty minutes passed as Frankenstein continued to provide ventilation for M-21. His blood oxygen level was now almost within the normal range. Just a little more and—

M-21 suddenly made a gurgling sound and started gagging. Frankenstein stopped using the Bag Valve Mask, removed the airway adjunct from M-21's mouth and turned his head to the side, where he vomited a stream of bile mixed with bright red blood.

"What's our ETA?" Frankenstein maneuvered M-21 into the recovery position then grabbed Takeo's coat to catch the vomit. He glanced at the pulse oximeter and bit back a curse. M-21's pulse was dropping fast.

"We'll be in Korean airspace twenty minutes tops," Takeo replied. "We're already going as fast as we could—"

"Land us on a building closest to the house when we get to the city," Frankenstein ordered. Whatever that bitch Ignes did to M-21 was wreaking havoc on his system. They were running out of time. Frankenstein further instructed Takeo to go ahead of them later to power up the lab equipment. He looked to Raizel. "Master—"

"M-21 is our priority now." Raizel was aware that he would only delay Frankenstein if he were to go with him in his exhausted state. "I will follow you later."

"The rest of you should stay with Master," Frankenstein said to Regis, Karias and Seira.

"I'll be your lookout," Karias offered.

"We're now in Korea," Takeo relayed. "We'll reach the city in fifteen minutes."

Frankenstein checked M-21's breathing. He was no longer throwing up bile, although a thick stream of blood steadily flowed from his mouth. Fifteen minutes seemed like eons.

"ETA five minutes," Takeo called out as he calculated the trajectory to the building nearest to the house. The chopper did a slight turn and dropped to a lower altitude.

"We're landing now," Takeo announced after so many minutes. The chopper touched down on one of the skyscrapers that dotted the city.

"You have five minutes." Frankenstein threw a quick look at Takeo and resumed preparing M-21 for the move.

Frankenstein cleaned up M-21 as best as he could and swaddled him in a blanket. M-21's shuddering worsened as they alighted from the chopper and were met with the chilly night air. Seira came forward to pull at a section of the blanket and placed it over M-21's head as a makeshift hood.

It was time to go. Frankenstein and Karias leaped from the building as the others anxiously watched.

Frankenstein flew at a relentless pace, pushing himself to his limit despite his own injuries. They were only a few blocks from the house when M-21 stiffened, gasped and gurgled. Blood gushed from M-21's mouth and nose, soaking the blanket so much that the stain spread beyond his chest and showed no signs of stopping.

Dread crept in yet Frankenstein was calm as he whispered, "M-21, we're almost at the house. You're going to be alright. We're going to fix this, I promise."

 _So don't you dare die on us now._

* * *

M-21 roused to the sound of splashing water, the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves as a soft breeze blew through them.

Something was coaxing M-21 to wakefulness, but he was very, very tired. Going to sleep was a wonderful idea, except everything seemed to conspire against him because the sounds were somehow louder. Or maybe his hearing got better. Either way, falling asleep was regrettably out of the equation.

M-21 cracked his eyes open, expecting to be assaulted by a light that was too bright. To his surprise, no such thing happened. The light had a warm, comforting quality to it. M-21 took stock of his surroundings.

He was sitting against a tall tree, the expanse of its branches serving as a natural canopy. M-21's legs stretched out, his feet just a few meters away from the rocky edge of—there was no scent of brine in the air—a lake, then. Grass covered the ground surrounding the tree and M-21 wanted to pull each blade off just so he could savor its freshly cut fragrance. Farther ahead, the land to either side of him was green and bore touches of different colors from what he guessed as flowers. Maybe he could take a stroll once he was not feeling so faint.

Done with checking the environ, M-21 gave himself a once-over. Strangely, he was wearing his clothes from when he was still with the Union sans the trench coat. Did his old attire have that much sentimental value to him that—

A series of caws broke through the bird songs. All of a sudden, a crow landed on M-21's left foot, skittered across his leg and paused on his knee. M-21 idly held his left hand to it and let the crow perch there.

"Hello," M-21 greeted. The crow answered with a caw. Why was there a crow here? The crow continued its walk until it got to M-21's shoulder, and once there started tugging at his hair.

"Hey, what are you doing?" M-21 shook his arm in an attempt to dislodge the crow, but the corvid merely flapped its wings to balance itself. Was it trying to groom him? The crow stopped messing with his hair, though. M-21 drew his left leg up bit by bit and the crow flew back to its previous position on his knee. M-21 reached out to touch its head.

"Are you here all by yourself?" M-21 was quite sure that crows traveled in groups so maybe this one got lost. The crow ceased with lightly pecking at M-21's fingers to throw him a beady gaze and another caw.

"I'm not really sure what this place is, but it looks peaceful, right?" And now he was having a one-sided conversation with a bird. M-21 had done crazier things so this was nothing. "And I don't mind the company." His arm dropped to the grass as a dull pain in his chest made itself known. "I just…need to rest a bit." M-21 leaned his head back on the tree's trunk and closed his eyes. He could probably try sleeping again—

"There you are. I've been looking all over for you."

M-21's eyes shot open and he jerked forward, sending the crow flying. That voice, he would recognize it anywhere! M-21 twisted to the side, almost going on his hands and knees to search for its source.

And found Him standing just several paces away. M-21 sank back on his legs, gaping as He strode towards him.

"I finally found you," M-24 said once he arrived in front of M-21.

M-21 felt his eyes prickle at the corners. "You're not really here and this is a trick." He wanted to believe his words yet his heart refused. "I miss you so much that they're making me see you like this. You're not real."

M-24 hunkered to M-21's level and stared with that familiar expression of kindness reserved only for him. It spoke of shared suffering and an oath made so long ago to have each other's back come hell or high water.

And the dam broke. The tears came unbidden and relentless, cascading down M-21's cheeks to his chin and dripping to the ground.

"It's…really you…" M-21 could barely see M-24 through his tears.

"Shhh, don't cry." M-24 wiped away M-21's tears. The action only made M-21 sob harder.

"Someone from the Union pretended to be you. I really thought you came back." M-21 no longer gave a damn if he sounded like a child telling on someone. There was no helping that he was this pathetic.

"I'm here." M-24 continued to dry M-21's tears. "So no more crying, it's not good for you to be crying now."

M-21's hand drifted to his chest, right where his heart was. A sharp pain made his breath hitch.

"M-21, you have to stop crying. It's hurting you." M-24 tried again.

"It hurts so much..." M-21 groaned.

"I know. That's why you have to calm down. You can do it." By now, M-24 was sitting on the ground and pulling M-21 into a one-armed hug. "Come on, breathe."

M-21 drew deep, shaky breaths as he scrubbed off his tears with the sides of his hands. He eventually composed himself, salvaging what little was left of his dignity after his pitiful display. The pain in his chest eased down.

"We miss you a lot, though not so much we'd want to see you this soon," M-24 said as he gave M-21's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Can't I just stay here?" M-21 burrowed into M-24's side. "I'm tired."

"You're not even supposed to be here," M-24 answered. "So you really have to go."

The confused look that crossed M-21's face prompted M-24 to hold him by the shoulders and solemnly say, "Remember the promise that we made. And more importantly, remember there are people waiting for you."

People waiting for him? Who…

Black strands. Blond waves. Locks of magenta. Tresses of silver. Red. Blue. Gray. Ice blue. The image of a group of persons flickered in M-21's mind, their names eluding him though not their significance. _Family_ his heart echoed, there was a family waiting for him.

He was not alone.

That solitary crow, watching M-21 and M-24 from the ground, let out an impatient caw.

"M-21?" M-24 tentatively queried.

M-21 sighed. "You're meant to take me back, aren't you?" He uncurled from M-24's side and moved to stand up on wobbly legs. M-24 rose along with him and kept an arm slung across his shoulders to help steady him.

"Lead the way then," M-21 said.

M-24 nodded and they walked in the direction where he came from. The grass was longer and interspersed with flowers of all imaginable colors. M-21 could have stopped and perused each one, except M-24 swiftly ushered him along a concealed path. Overhead, the crow glided in circles and repeatedly cawed as if telling them to make haste.

"We're almost there," M-24 uttered. Whether this was addressed to him or the crow, M-21 was unsure.

The pair had been trekking for some time and arrived at higher ground at that point. The horizon was lined in white and as they closed the distance, M-21 and M-24 came upon a white stone wall. Right in front of them was an intricately carved wooden door.

M-24 released M-21. "This is as far as I go. You'll be able to get back once you pass through this door." However, M-21 remained motionless.

"M-21, please, you can't stay here much longer."

M-21 turned to look at M-24, uncertainty in his eyes. "Hyung…" On any other day, he would have been self-conscious for letting the word slip.

M-24 relented, pulled M-21 into another embrace and declared, "We'll see each other again someday." He lightly pushed M-21 towards the door. "Now you have to get back home."

M-21 touched the door and it creaked open. When it was wide enough to let him pass, he spared one last look at M-24.

"Go on. We'll all be here when you come back." M-24 smiled.

M-21 returned the smile. "Yeah. I'll see you later." The door immediately shut once he went through it.

M-24 glared at the crow as it settled on his shoulder. "Just because you helped out back there doesn't mean you lot can go near him," he warned. "He's not ready to deal with you."

The crow just tilted its head to one side and cawed.

* * *

M-21 found himself in a forest. Close to barren trees swayed in the wintry breeze and sent leaves raining down. The full moon was low and enormous, the only source of illumination in the suffocating darkness.

"You made it." A female voice came from behind him. M-21 spun to find a young woman and a teenaged girl standing there. Their similar features led him to conclude that they were related to each other. Both had red brown hair—the young woman's hair was loose and flowing while the girl had hers in a long braid—and brown eyes. They emitted a glow that rendered them distinct in the bleak surrounding.

The pair took quick strides towards M-21. "Come, we must hurry." The young woman grasped M-21 by his right hand and marched onward. His eyes grew wide at the move yet he allowed himself to be led farther into the forest since he sensed no ill intent from her or the girl.

The young woman looked back at M-21. "You will leave this place unharmed I promise you." Her determined gaze convinced M-21 that she would fight tooth and nail to guarantee that.

"If you hear some strange sounds don't pay attention." The girl advised as she walked beside M-21. She held a three-pronged wooden spear at a ready.

M-21 noticed that the only sounds in the forest were their footfalls and voices.

A shrill scream pierced the air. A cacophony of wails, shrieks and moans followed, causing M-21 to tremble in spite of himself.

The young woman squeezed his hand. "Hush, it will be alright. We will not let them hurt you." M-21 focused on the warmth of her hand to shut out the voices.

The young woman decided to pick up their pace that M-21 was almost breathless with the exertion. The forest disappeared and they arrived at a low cliff with a raging river below it.

"You have to jump into the water," the young woman explained as she and the girl steered M-21 to the cliff's edge. "It will keep you safe and return you home—"

"Wait!" M-21 held his ground. "Please tell me…have we met before?" His instinct was screaming that he ought to recognize who they were.

The young woman wore a bittersweet smile. "No. It would have been a very happy day if we did."

M-21's mind was racing. Why did he feel so safe with them if they never met previously? Why did the thought of leaving them make his heart heavy?

Then it dawned upon him. M-21's stare went from the girl to the young woman, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "You're—" he somehow choked out.

The young woman took M-21's face in her hands and wiped the corners of his eyes as the first of his tears began to fall. "Remember what your friend said? It's not good for you to be crying now."

M-21 fought hard to keep himself from further weeping. "I-I don't understand. Why are you here?" The words kept tumbling out. "What does it mean that you're here—"

The young woman pulled M-21 to plant a kiss on his forehead and stare into his eyes. "Our time has long passed. But not yours." She carried on in a firm yet affectionate tone, "I know it's been hard, but you have to stay strong. And never forget there are people who care for you very much."

M-21 was wrapped in her arms. He held her tight, not wanting to let go.

"We have to say goodbye for now, my love," the young woman said a few moments later. M-21 forced himself to withdraw from the hug.

The girl stepped forward and embraced M-21 as well. "Take care of yourself out there, you hear?"

M-21 nodded, not going to the trouble of saying anything lest he end up sobbing. Instead, he did his best to commit their faces into memory. M-21 resolved not to throw away everybody's efforts to get him there and set his attention on the river. He breathed in and jumped down. The river's churning waters swallowed him as soon as he hit it.

 _They were right._ M-21 was calm as the current swept him away. _It feels safe down here_.

Then he was gone.

* * *

The sharp, monotonous beep of the vital signs monitor gave way to intermittent ones that were far too slow for Frankenstein's liking. It only highlighted that M-21 was in a very precarious condition.

Frankenstein wasted no time and placed M-21 in one of the tanks with Karias and Takeo's assistance. A comprehensive scan revealed a myriad of issues requiring immediate attention, foremost of these was the rapid cell degeneration ravaging M-21's organs and causing them to fail. Frankenstein administered the highest possible dose of medicine within the safety limits to arrest the degeneration. He was now working against the clock to formulate a cocktail of drugs to address M-21's other injuries and ailments.

Somewhere behind Frankenstein, Takeo was saying that he needed to go fetch Tao and Rael from the Werewolf Island.

Karias approached Frankenstein. "Is there anything else we can help you with?"

"None for now," Frankenstein replied without taking his eyes off his task of retrieving his research data. At that point, he remembered. "Master must be here already."

Takeo and Karias glanced at the observation window on the other side of the lab to find Raizel, Seira and Regis watching them. Judging from their expressions, they were unfortunate witnesses to most if not all of the horrific scenario that transpired moments ago.

"We'll see to his needs," Karias reassured Frankenstein. Takeo and Karias left the lab just as Raizel exited the observation room with Regis and Seira, and they all caught up with each other at the hallway.

Seira and Regis were unable to disguise their horror. Takeo tracked their gaze to his blood-smeared shirt. "It's not mine, it's M-21's," he said as he pulled at the sticky clothing. "I better change out of this or I might scare Tao."

Raizel continued towards the elevator and everyone dutifully followed him. He had utmost confidence in Frankenstein's abilities to take care of M-21. For his part, Raizel decided that he would not add to Frankenstein's concerns and fix his disheveled appearance as a start.

It was close to an hour later when Raizel entered the main lab all by himself. There was no evidence of the previous event there. In fact, the lab was far too clean and currently had an overpowering chemical scent.

Frankenstein was standing in a seemingly relaxed manner in front of the tank that held M-21, thoughts unreadable. Raizel took a position to his right and observed M-21 as well. What he saw caused him worry and he let Frankenstein feel it through their Link.

After a while, Frankenstein murmured, "Sometimes I regret not forcing them to leave."

"You forget that they are not the sort to listen," Raizel answered, equally quiet. "They want to stay despite the danger."

"Maybe I should have threatened them with Dark Spear." Frankenstein clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles were turning white. "Then none of this would have happened."

There would have been no kidnapping, no rescue mission sidelined because of the mad ambitions of a Werewolf Lord, and no necessity for his Master to use his powers and deplete his life force as a result.

"What's done is done." Raizel's words sounded harsh even to him, but it would do no good for Frankenstein to fall into a pit of self-loathing and guilt. "Do not blame yourself for things you have no control over. Moreover, do not lose sight of what is important now."

Frankenstein violently sighed then collected himself. He faced Raizel and gave a slight bow. "Forgive me for speaking and behaving out of turn, Master."

Raizel extended his hand and patted Frankenstein on the shoulder in understanding.

"Please go rest, Master. I will handle things here," Frankenstein suggested.

Raizel would have declined except Frankenstein's anxious expression changed his mind. "I do not need to leave to get rest," was what he said as a compromise.

"As you wish." Frankenstein obtained a chair for Raizel and together they began the vigil over M-21. The beeps from the equipment monitoring M-21 were the only sounds to counter the hush that descended in the lab.

Time went by. The silence was broken as the door slid open and let in Tao, Seira, Takeo and Regis. They made their way across the lab to where M-21 was.

Tao was as stunned as the rest of RK at seeing M-21 inside a tank. Because none of them ever had to be in one despite sustaining grave injuries in their past battles. M-21 was too pale, too still as he floated in a healing liquid. Tao belatedly noticed a hint of the metallic scent of blood notwithstanding the liberal use of cleaning chemicals.

"So it's this bad." Tao was unable to stop from cataloging M-21's injuries now that they were away from the battlefield—a laceration close to his hairline, the large bruises already turning blue, the collection of abrasions. M-21 probably fractured some bones too. There was a high likelihood of other internal damage as well due to the experiments on him.

Tao hated that he was the bearer of bad news. However, everyone needed to know what happened. "M-21 here purposely provoked Ignes and made her so angry she increased the intensity of her experiments."

"Let me guess, is it because he won't take whatever's being done to him sitting down?" Takeo did not expect any less from M-21. None of them did.

"Precisely." Tao laid his hand on the glass of M-21's tank and tried not to be hysterical at the situation. "Is our M-21 becoming predictable or what?" Seira reached out and held Tao's shoulder.

"Ah, there's one more thing," Tao continued as he kept his gaze on M-21. "Kentas said M-21 was unconscious for about three days."

Frankenstein internally cursed. The experiments must have been very intensive for M-21 to be in that state for that long. He hoped Ignes was suffering twice as much inside Dark Spear.

Tao was about to lose it but finished his report nonetheless. "And Ignes injected him with some drugs before that. Kentas thought he won't wake up again."

At this point, Frankenstein pinched the bridge of his nose, whether in frustration or something else, no one could tell.

"What exactly is wrong with M-21?" Regis hazarded the question. Everyone looked to Frankenstein for an explanation.

"His cells are degenerating," was Frankenstein's first statement as he commenced discussing M-21's present state of being. By the end of his account, everyone except Raizel became more visibly upset.

"I'll…go work on the data dump from the Werewolf Island," Tao announced before heading for the door.

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything rash," Takeo murmured then followed Tao. He found him crouched near the wall across the elevator, a dazed expression on his face.

Takeo let his steps fall louder to alert Tao to his presence and sat on the floor beside him. "I'm not going to ask if you're alright because that's a very stupid question," he said a few beats later.

"Sorry, I almost lost it back there," Tao apologized. He was a professional damn it, why couldn't he behave like one now of all times?

"Because this isn't just some job for the Union involving someone we don't know or care about," Takeo shot back.

 _Crap, and I actually said that aloud._ Tao was distracted from internalizing his embarrassment when Takeo nudged him at his side.

"That data you found won't sort itself out," Takeo emphasized. "So get ahold of yourself, M-21 needs us at our best right now." He stood up and held out a hand to Tao.

Tao stared up at Takeo. "Boss said those things and you're still pretty calm—"

"Truth is, I'm absolutely terrified." Takeo grabbed Tao's hand and pulled him up. "I'll deal with myself once things settle down."

At Takeo's encouraging look, Tao straightened, did a heavy exhale and slapped his cheeks rather hard with both hands. "Focus, gotta focus." He turned to Takeo. "I'm okay now so you can go back—"

Takeo threw an arm over Tao's shoulder and steered him to the elevator. "Nah, I'll go with you. I'm not an IT genius, but I can be a fresh pair of eyes so we don't miss anything." He said as an afterthought, "Or I can at least make you coffee—"

Tao blanched. "Ah, no offense, but I'll pass and have tea in that case. Or make my own coffee."

Takeo side-eyed him. "You make it sound like my coffee is awful."

"No, it's not. I just don't want to stay awake for forty-eight hours straight, thank you very much."

The hours passed. Karias and Rael returned from patrolling around the city and were brought up to speed regarding M-21's situation. Tao and Takeo came down to the lab with data roughly ten hours after M-21 was placed in the tank.

M-21's cell degeneration completely ended at thirteen hours. Nonetheless, he was not yet out of the woods. Frankenstein adjusted medications, increasing or decreasing one and removing another. M-21 remained inactive, so much that it was hard to tell he was breathing were it not for the equipment monitoring his vitals.

To everyone's relief, M-21's regeneration finally kicked in when he was about to hit the eighteen-hour mark.

Thereafter, Raizel and RK persuaded Frankenstein to take a breather. The constant barrage of mournful stares from Raizel and Seira, queries on his wellbeing from Regis and Takeo and blatant appeals to his conscience on how M-21 would feel if he were to collapse courtesy of Tao, made Frankenstein yield. However, he issued strict orders to immediately call his attention should there be any change in M-21's condition. To appease him, Tao made sure that his tablet had access to M-21's real-time data so he would not miss anything.

It was already the twenty-first hour by then.

* * *

M-21 continued to sleep, unmoving and silent.

The household adapted its routine accordingly. Seira and Regis went to class at Ye Ran while Karias and Rael kept watch over the school. Tao and Takeo took turns staying at the house in the daytime to provide standby assistance to Frankenstein. Raizel opted to recuperate at home and was usually in the lab for most of the day as well.

Karias and Rael conscripted themselves to making rounds in the city during the evening, and whoever was on standby duty in the day would briefly join them. RK assumed the vigil over M-21, dividing themselves into pairs consisting of Tao and Regis and another of Seira and Takeo.

One night, Seira approached Frankenstein to request lessons on how to cook food for convalescing people. Frankenstein gladly indulged her, passing on his recipes and the others that he learned over the years in his travels.

Different people chanced upon Regis on several occasions as he left M-21's room bearing cleaning implements. He went from making sure that the room was clean for when M-21 came back, to making sure that it was clean for when M-21 woke up. No one begrudged his steadfastness.

M-21 grew less ashen and the external evidences of his ordeal had all but disappeared.

The household spoke to M-21 about things. On how their day went, on the latest events, even their concerns about schoolwork and some personal endeavor.

And about that one unanswered question: _When will you wake up?_

* * *

Takeo just came back from evening patrol when he received a message to report to the lab.

"You wanted to see me, Boss?" he asked.

Frankenstein raised his eyes from the data he was studying on his tablet and looked at Takeo and Tao. The pair straightaway sensed that something was about to happen.

"M-21's already waking up?" Tao's voice was hopeful.

"No, he's not. But staying longer in the tank won't make him heal any faster." Frankenstein put the tablet aside. "And I don't want him to come round to a lab situation, so we'll be taking him out of there now."

Seira came across Takeo as he got what appeared to be half dozen bath towels from the linen cupboard at the ground floor. Tao showed up not even a minute later with some clothes and explained things to her.

Takeo and Tao arrived at the lab whilst Frankenstein was wheeling a gurney to the tank's right side. They deposited the towels and clothes on the gurney and waited for further orders.

"Tao, you're in charge of opening the tank. Takeo and I will handle M-21." Frankenstein grabbed one of the towels, draped it on his shoulder then stood in front of the tank. The whole procedure would have been easier if M-21 was conscious, though given his experience and his current circumstance, it was better this way.

Tao tapped a series of keys on the tank's touchscreen console to open the vents on the tank's floor and let some of the liquid drain out. He paused the process when the fluid was lower than M-21's shoulder level. There was a hissing sound and the glass tube slid down to the same level as well.

Frankenstein stepped forward, reached inside the tank and held M-21 by the shoulders. "I have him secure."

"Roger that, fully opening the tank now." Tao tapped more keys and programmed the tank to completely drain itself and for its glass tube to fully slide down.

Frankenstein caught the brunt of M-21's deadweight as he lurched forward, no longer buoyed by anything. Takeo drew closer and removed M-21's oxygen mask and the electrodes attached to his chest and temples, allowing Frankenstein to lift him out of the tank.

The timer on the tank struck ninety-six hours.

M-21 dripped so much water on the floor that a puddle formed on the spot where Frankenstein set him down. He began to tremble slightly due to the temperature shift. Takeo and Tao made swift yet careful work drying M-21 off, divesting him of his sodden pants and dressing him in dark blue pajamas. Frankenstein toweled M-21's hair while ensuring that he stayed upright. The entire activity did not last more than ten minutes. Frankenstein issued instructions on how to properly execute the three-person lift so that M-21 was safely laid on the gurney. He likewise led in maneuvering the gurney out of the lab.

The remaining members of the household gathered in the living room and waited for news. Almost an hour had already gone by since they learned that Frankenstein and the others were extracting M-21.

Someone's message alert chimed. Raizel took out his phone and rose from the sofa after reading something on it. "Frankenstein says we can see M-21 now."

The elevator ride to the lab area was brief. Raizel sauntered past the main lab and observation room, heading in the direction of a room at the end of the hall. Oddly, the room was not fitted with an automatic door. Raizel turned the door handle, revealing that the space had been refurbished as a hospital room complete with amenities befitting that of a private suite.

M-21 was on a hospital bed, finally fully dressed and with a blanket draped up to his chest. He wore an oxygen mask connected to a ventilator and was being administered fluids and medication via intravenous cannula on the back of his left hand. Five wires attached to one of the equipment that flanked his bed continued their way inside his pajama top from his right collar. Completing the setup was the pulse oximeter on his left index finger.

Overall, M-21's appearance reinforced the notion that he was frailer than before. Frankenstein was quick in reassuring everyone that M-21 was recovering, albeit much slower than his usual pace. He likewise stressed that there was no more added benefit for M-21 in staying in the tank, that waking up in there would be more detrimental.

"He'll need more time to recover," Frankenstein explained. "Also, his brain activity indicates he'll regain consciousness in two or three days' time."

As the household found seats on the chairs and sofas, Tao moved to the left side of M-21's bed and in a mildly reproachful tone said, "You're taking this sleeping business too seriously, M-21. Do you need a kiss to wake you up just like in the fairy tales?"

Tao's second statement intrigued the Nobles, except for Karias, that a rather amusing yet low-key discussion on the relationship between fairy tales and kisses ensued. Frankenstein had to intervene when Seira began to exhibit a keen interest on carrying out Tao's idea, if only to save himself from having another patient in the person of Rael succumbing to nervous breakdown. Fortunately, he was able to defuse the impending crisis with help from Karias.

Frankenstein eventually declared that visiting hours were over. Regis and Tao stayed behind for their vigil duty as everyone else retired for the night. Raizel and Frankenstein were yet to leave.

"Do wake up soon, M-21, or Seira might really try to kiss you." Frankenstein did a final check on M-21 to make certain everything was in order.

Tao stood to the side looking sheepish for almost causing a misunderstanding, so he was surprised when Raizel came over and gave him pats on the shoulder.

Raizel focused on M-21, drawing his right hand out to brush up the hair that had fallen back on M-21's face. "We will be waiting for you as always." He did this for a few moments and exited the room afterwards.

"Tao?" Frankenstein called out.

Tao snapped to attention and handed Frankenstein's tablet back to him. "I've already synchronized that with the equipment data. We'll call if anything changes so you got nothing to worry about, Boss." Frankenstein was scrutinizing him rather hard that Tao raised his right hand and blurted out, "And I swear, no more strange ideas."

Frankenstein accepted the aforementioned tablet. "I'll hold you to that." He cast M-21 a last once-over before heading out as well.

"Um, sorry about that, M," Tao said as he occupied one of the chairs closest to M-21's bed. Then he proceeded to tell M-21 random stories. Regis also got roped into sharing some details of the project he and Seira were working on.

They could only hope that M-21 was able to hear them.

* * *

M-21's respiration considerably improved as the hours slipped by, prompting Frankenstein to start weaning him off the ventilator. Fourteen hours since being hooked up to the said machine, Frankenstein at last removed M-21's oxygen mask, allowing him to breathe unassisted.

Tao shared the news with the other RK members, Rael and Karias when they had a video call during morning break at Ye Ran. To say that it improved their mood would not be an exaggeration.

That evening, M-21's visitors also noticed that he was less pallid compared to yesterday. It was yet another milestone proving that he was slowly but surely on the mend. And it was on this encouraging note that everyone bade M-21 good night.

Frankenstein had been asleep for about an hour when his tablet began beeping almost at the same time his phone started ringing. The clock on his bedside table read 2:25 a.m. He grabbed both gadgets, putting Takeo on speakerphone as he checked what caused the alert on the tablet to go off.

"Boss, something's wrong with M-21—" Takeo reported as the call connected.

"I'll be down in ten." Frankenstein was already changing out of his sleepwear. Not even ten minutes later and he was walking into M-21's room.

"We didn't notice anything until the monitor started beeping," Takeo explained.

Frankenstein studied the data on a nearby screen and found something suspect on one of M-21's ECG parameter readings. He promptly unbuttoned M-21's shirt to remove the electrodes attached across his torso. "We need to get him to the lab now."

Frankenstein performed several scans and by the time it was over, M-21 was running a low-grade fever. The remorseful vibe from Seira and Takeo did not escape his attention as they made their back to M-21's room.

"Just to be clear, I'm not blaming anyone for this. And neither will M-21." Frankenstein eyed the pair after placing a damp towel on M-21's forehead.

Seira could only sigh. "He will most likely blame himself." While Takeo and Frankenstein did not say anything, their expressions told they agreed with her assessment.

"We'll take care of things here," Takeo said. Frankenstein dispensed last minute instructions on how to tend to M-21 before hurrying back to the lab.

Morning came soon enough. Takeo glanced at the clock while Seira was busy swapping M-21's towel with one that she just wet and saw that it was nearing 6:00 a.m. So far, M-21's temperature remained unchanged.

"You should get ready for school, Seira," Takeo suggested. The door opened and everybody else came in for their morning visit, only to be stopped in their tracks by the scene in front of them.

Takeo explained what transpired in the early hours of the morning, ending it with, "Boss came by a while back, says he's almost close to confirming his diagnosis." That had been nearly two hours ago.

A gloomy quiet settled among them. Until Raizel spoke, "School."

That spurred everyone to action. Seira went with Regis, Karias and Rael to prepare for the day. Raizel sat on a chair, making sure that he was not getting in anyone's way and stared at M-21.

"You better go," Takeo said after seeing that Tao was yet to leave.

"Not gonna happen," Tao responded, his eyes narrowing as he inspected Takeo. "You didn't even take a nap the whole time you're here?" Takeo's guilty expression confirmed his accusation.

"I'm relieving you, so get some breakfast then sleep." Tao all but ordered as he grabbed hold of the basin Takeo was about to carry in the room's kitchenette area.

Takeo did not bother putting up a fight. "Alright, I'll be back in an hour—"

"Three hours," Tao imposed.

"Right, three hours," Takeo agreed.

He must be tired if he was this compliant, Tao noted. Takeo explained Frankenstein's instructions regarding M-21 before he reluctantly left.

Frankenstein turned up several minutes later with two IV bags of medications and piggybacked these to M-21's primary IV line.

However, things took a turn for the worse. By mid-afternoon M-21's temperature shot past thirty-nine degrees Celsius, forcing Frankenstein to adjust the dose of one medication a tad higher than the safety limit. Despite this, M-21's fever raged on and went beyond forty degrees Celsius as early evening arrived. He began to take rapid, shallow breaths and was now shivering even with his burning temperature.

"We can't replace his blanket with a thicker one, it'll only make his fever worse," was Takeo's response when Regis raised the suggestion.

Seira stared at M-21 after putting a basin of water on the table beside Tao, her brows creased with concern. "The cold is hurting him."

Regis could barely suppress his frustration. "Is there anything else we can do?"

Tao sighed. "This is the only way we can help." He changed the towel M-21 had on his forehead then commenced patting his arms with another towel in an effort to lower his fever.

Once Tao finished his work, Takeo came over and pulled M-21's blanket until it was at his chest. "This is how we can help, so we just have to keep at it." His voice took on a dejected tone.

Raizel watched the scene unfold with sorrow-filled eyes. The children were capable in their own ways and posed a threat to enemies, yet could not ease M-21's suffering for all their abilities. And it pained Raizel that he was unable to offer the right words to dispel the overwhelming sense of powerlessness gnawing at them.

* * *

Frankenstein was at his wits' end. He had been reviewing his data and those that Tao gathered from the Werewolf Island along with M-21's scans and test results. Everything pointed to one conclusion—continuing with M-21's current treatment would be fatal—because the infection plaguing him was proving to be resistant to the drugs specifically formulated to cure it.

There was another option, one Frankenstein did not want to implement unless the situation became so dire there was no other way out of it. He marched into the lab's drug storeroom, opened a refrigerated storage and pulled out a twelve-inch glass cylinder filled with a light blue liquid.

Frankenstein moved to the adjacent room and deposited the cylinder on a table, the action making the slightly viscous liquid shake within its confines. He glared at the item as if it was the source of all things vexing. This particular drug had shown tremendous potential in treating various maladies yet was unstable and still in its clinical trial stage.

Frankenstein scoffed at his foolishness. That M-21 would die due to a medical complication was by far the greatest threat now. And he would grasp any opportunity, no matter how small it was, just so M-21 would have a fighting chance at survival.

 _No one dies on my watch._ _Not this time._

With renewed determination, Frankenstein assembled the rest of his required ingredients and materials to begin working on M-21's new medication.

* * *

Regis was equal parts uneasy and relieved. M-21's temperature stayed the same despite their efforts to bring his fever down to a more manageable level. Still, it was better than the alternative. Regis handed the towel he folded to Seira, then glanced at the entrance in the hopes that Frankenstein would finally return with something to end this.

The sound of the door unlocking caught everyone's attention. Frankenstein strode into the room, examined M-21 and replaced his two most recent medications with the single IV bag he brought.

"The medication will start working in an hour," Frankenstein announced once he was done.

A tense silence reigned, until Raizel declared that they should have dinner since it was getting late. He also mildly chastised Frankenstein and Tao for missing lunch, stressing that M-21 would not appreciate it.

"He'll probably say something along the lines of 'Don't neglect yourself on my account'," Takeo added as he fixed M-21's towel before it slipped off his forehead.

Frankenstein and Raizel decided to stay behind and sent the rest of RK to have dinner first. Thereafter, Tao and Takeo came down and took charge of M-21 so they could have dinner as well.

Raizel and Frankenstein waited for the elevator to return from the lab floor. The elevator door slid open to reveal Tao scowling at something on his pocket computer.

Tao looked up when he noticed the elevator door moved and came upon Raizel and Frankenstein standing outside. "Boss, one of our sensors just detected someone entering the city."

"Have you identified who it is?" Frankenstein asked. Could it be…

"Hold on, I'm trying to get a video feed. The intruder came from the southwest." Tao tapped and swiped at his screen until he got the information he needed. "I got a lock on the intruder and…oh."

Raizel's worry vanished at Tao's surprised expression. "Not an enemy then?"

"Considering recent events, I don't think so." Tao showed the live feed from one of the cameras he installed in the city's ruined sector.

Frankenstein's phone chose to ring at that moment, the number flashing on the screen familiar despite him not registering it in his contacts list all this time.

"You should answer that, Frankenstein. He seems concerned you are not picking up," Raizel observed. True enough, the person on the video feed was frowning. Tao excused himself to give Raizel and Frankenstein some privacy.

Frankenstein swiped on his phone screen and answered the incoming call.

* * *

Muzaka landed on top of the building Frankenstein directed him to go and waited. It had been two nights since he received a call from Frankenstein regarding a request. Muzaka would have obliged him back then, except Garda's vital signs became so erratic that he was unable to leave Crombel's lab.

A presence materialized a few meters from where Muzaka stood. He recognized the Noble as the leader of the Kertia Clan.

"Frankenstein sent me to escort you," Rael said without preamble.

Muzaka nodded and followed Rael's lead. They traversed several buildings before landing in a deserted alley. Muzaka noted that the buildings were not as high as the ones in their previous location.

"This way, please." Rael stepped out of the alley and made a right turn. The late-night traffic was thinning and the establishments they passed were either closed or already closing. A few more minutes of walking and they reached a residential area. Rael stopped in front of the gate of a white two-storey house and unlocked it to let them inside the property.

"Frankenstein is waiting," Rael stated once he disengaged the front door.

"I'll show myself in." Muzaka knocked then turned the door handle. Rael vanished from sight as soon as Muzaka entered the house.

The first thing Muzaka became aware of was the somber stillness that seemed to permeate the air. Second was the rack to the right side of the doorway filled with footwear. There was a handwritten note reminding people to change into slippers. Muzaka did just that before venturing further into the house. He found Frankenstein standing in the living room.

"Sorry I'm late," Muzaka announced his presence.

"My apologies for not bringing you here myself," Frankenstein replied as he met Muzaka. "There's a pressing matter that I'm currently attending to."

"Maybe I shouldn't have come since you're busy," Muzaka answered. He could not avoid taking notice of Frankenstein's worn out appearance, subtle it may be.

"Actually, now's the right time for you to be here." Frankenstein strode farther into the house with Muzaka in tow. They came to the end of a hallway, where Frankenstein pressed a hidden panel on the wall that uncovered an elevator. He gestured for Muzaka to enter then followed inside.

"I'll only take an hour of your time seeing as we both have other important things to take care of," Frankenstein guaranteed.

The elevator came to a stop at the lab floor and they headed to the main lab. Tao did a good job of finding data in the Werewolf Island, except it turned out that the werewolves experimented on their civilian population. There was also data on Kentas, though it was insufficient for Frankenstein to conduct an in-depth study on werewolf warriors.

Then there was Muzaka. Definitely not a run-of-the-mill werewolf and arguably the strongest Werewolf Lord. Frankenstein was quite apprehensive and prepared several arguments to persuade him, so he was rather astonished that Muzaka readily consented when he broached his request.

Muzaka let his eyes roam around Frankenstein's lab and saw the stark contrast between its technology and that of Crombel's. Even a non-scientist like him could tell that Frankenstein's was more superior.

He was curious about something else so he turned to Frankenstein. "So how's that kid you rescued doing?"

It was a well-meaning question, but it made something inside Frankenstein snap.

 **Let them taste our wrath.**

The chant of thousands of souls reverberated in Frankenstein's head as tendrils of his power shot out, purple black in all its malevolent glory.

 **Make them suffer.**

"Frankenstein, quit it already!" Muzaka did not expect his inquiry to touch a nerve and cause such violent reaction.

 **Make them bleed.**

 _Enough Frankenstein, M-21 is terrified!_

Raizel's words cut through the din and brought Frankenstein back to his senses. The dark aura that threatened to devour everything disappeared.

Takeo burst through the door not a minute after. "Boss, M-21—"

Frankenstein's feet moved by themselves and he dashed out of the lab. In his haste, Takeo left the door to M-21's room gaping and Frankenstein could hear faint noises from inside as they drew closer. Frankenstein stepped through the threshold and beheld the result of his indiscretion.

M-21 somehow mustered strength so he was now lying on his left side, gasping and whimpering softly.

 _What have I done?_

Raizel cautiously held M-21's shoulder. "Calm down, M-21." The whimpers did not stop and even got worse. Raizel pulled back and met Frankenstein's guilt-ridden eyes.

Frankenstein could barely stand the sorrow on his Master's face so he withdrew to check the monitors then hovered by M-21's bed, uncertain on how to go about their predicament. Maybe he should sedate M-21…

Takeo took the spot Raizel vacated and touched M-21 on the arm. "M-21, please, no one's going to hurt you here."

"There must be something we can do." Seira had been reflexively clutching the towels that fell when M-21 abruptly shifted.

"Maybe something werewolf-related?" Tao was grasping at straws.

"We don't know anything like that," Regis countered rather testily.

A muffled sob from M-21.

Everybody set their attention on Frankenstein, silently imploring him to please do something, anything, to put an end to this harrowing situation.

"If you want to try something werewolf-related, you can start with calming yourselves down," Muzaka said from the open door. Although surprised at his presence, nobody objected as he let himself inside the room.

Muzaka was unsure whether his idea would work, though there was nothing to lose if they had a go at it. He continued in an even tone, "Sick werewolf children are very sensitive to the emotions of people around them, so caregivers have to make sure they're calm at all times."

It required some effort for the panic-laden atmosphere to gradually ease as everybody contained their agitation. However, with the damage already done, M-21's whimpers were persistent.

"I want to try something. I promise it's nothing harmful," Muzaka told Raizel and Frankenstein. Both nodded their assent and stood to the side to give Muzaka room. The others did the same.

Muzaka made his way to the left side of M-21's bed and sat on the chair Takeo previously occupied. His eyes went to the bed's plastic side rail.

"Can this be removed?" Muzaka asked. Takeo came forward and collapsed the aforementioned side rail, allowing Muzaka to place his right hand palm-down on the mattress, almost close to M-21's head and hands.

Muzaka commenced slowly patting M-21 on the upper arm and in soft voice said, "Hey there, it's alright, you're safe. No one's going to hurt you here." M-21 was tense at the onset but relaxed under his touch.

"You have nothing to be afraid of." Muzaka glanced at the household as he continued to do a few more slow pats before moving to gently stroking M-21's arm. "They're very sorry for scaring you and they won't do it again."

M-21 was whimpering less now.

 _The poor kid's very sick._ Muzaka was sorry for M-21 and had to bury it deep to avoid further distressing him. Instead, he carried on with his ministrations, telling M-21 several times more that there was nothing to be afraid of, that he was safe.

M-21's whimpers grew even lesser.

"That's it, you're doing well." Muzaka reached forward and started to run his hand down M-21's back. "You're doing very well."

The act made M-21 pause mid-whimper then he resumed at a lower volume.

Muzaka remembered a melody sung by countless werewolf parents over the centuries. It was the one that lulled Ashleen to peaceful slumber when she was just a tiny infant.

Muzaka drew a deep breath and began to hum. It was shaky at first as he thought of the tone for each line. By the time he was at the second verse, Muzaka grew more confident, his humming steady.

M-21 ceased his whimpering altogether.

If one were to ask Muzaka what was going through his mind at the time, the most accurate response would be he was not thinking at all. Everything came to him as a reflex. And caressing the back of a hurt child to soothe him whilst humming a lullaby was not wrong in the slightest. Muzaka did not stop either action even after M-21 had already gone silent for some time now.

Moreover, he did not balk when M-21's fumbling right hand reached for his right hand, missed and succeeded at last in catching his index and middle fingers in a feeble grip.

Muzaka repeated the lullaby a second, even a third time. He was in the midst of the fourth cycle when he determined that M-21 was no longer in a panicked state. Muzaka finished the lullaby, rubbed M-21's back a final time before freeing his fingers from M-21's hold.

Thankfully, M-21 made no protest of any sort.

"Frankenstein," Muzaka's call broke the spell that the others fell under, "you better check him." Muzaka left his seat and found his way beside Raizel as Frankenstein approached.

Frankenstein repositioned M-21 on his back and checked if the cannula or any of the electrodes were dislodged, and was relieved to find that everything was still in place. M-21's skin was still too hot to the touch and his breathing still rapid and shallow. Frankenstein raised the blanket to M-21's chest. The medication should be taking effect now so his fever would go down soon.

"Leave him to us, Frankenstein," Raizel said. "You and Muzaka have something to do."

"And the sooner we get it done, the sooner you can get back here," Muzaka added.

Frankenstein nodded. "Then I'll leave him to you." The rest of RK moved in and took over M-21's care as he and Muzaka hurried to the lab.

More than half an hour of scanning, several vacutainer tubes of blood, a session of tissue sample extraction, a buccal swab and a quick trim of a clump of Muzaka's hair later, Frankenstein was finally finished. He handed Muzaka a bottle of orange juice, which Muzaka stared at with suspicion.

"You think I have time to make things explode in your face?" Frankenstein almost huffed.

"Not really, more like I'm wondering about the sugar content of this drink," Muzaka replied from his seat as he unscrewed the bottle and sniffed the juice.

"It's sugar-free, says right there on the bottle," Frankenstein pointed out. He let Muzaka finish the drink prior to speaking again, "I apologize. I did say I'll only take an hour of your time—"

"It's fine, there were extenuating circumstances anyway." Muzaka allayed Frankenstein's concern. They were quiet as Frankenstein stored the samples he collected for study later.

"I never got his name." Muzaka was referring to M-21.

"We don't know it." At Muzaka's raised eyebrows Frankenstein pressed on, "The people at the Union call him M-21 and he's the survivor of a group of experiments named M-Series. M-21 doesn't have any memories of his past and believes they'd been experimented on for years before the M-Series was declared a failure." He may be imagining it, but Muzaka seemed to have turned a shade paler after his revelation.

"How old do you think he is?" Muzaka could not help inquiring.

"We're not really sure. Master and I think he's twenty-six years old at the most. M-21 assumes he's around twenty-eight years old." Frankenstein gestured for Muzaka to hand him the juice bottle for disposal.

Muzaka had a suspicion that neither party was right about M-21's age if he were to judge by the scent he encountered a while ago. It reminded him of joyful shrieks, happy giggles and sleepy afternoon cuddles.

It confounded Muzaka that a modified human would bear the scent of a werewolf child of all things.

Frankenstein mulled on Muzaka's question and recalled those very rare, unguarded and short-lived instances where M-21 appeared and behaved much younger than his supposed age, and how his defenses would go up and he would revert to his somber, world-weary self. M-21 gave him and Master the impression of a child doing his best to fit into an adult's shoes. And M-21 was successful for the most part, which was very remarkable.

Frankenstein changed the topic. "I'm surprised you agreed to this."

"I said I owe you, remember? This is part of paying my debt to you and Raizel for helping my people." Muzaka scratched his cheek. "Although I'm not sure if you'll get something useful out of this when my body is such a mess."

"I'll be the judge of that," Frankenstein responded as the door opened and Raizel entered the lab.

"Is there something wrong, Master?" Frankenstein asked.

Raizel shook his head. "Takeo says M-21's fever is going down."

Frankenstein grabbed his tablet and confirmed that M-21's fever had indeed gone slightly lower.

"I guess I should be on my way." Muzaka stood up and did a few stretches.

"Are you sure? You can rest for a few more minutes," Frankenstein said.

"I'm fine, I've endured far worse," Muzaka replied as he fixed his hair.

Raizel accompanied Muzaka on his way up to the house and joined him as he left their property. They were now strolling on an empty, tree-lined street.

"You're worried." Muzaka expertly deciphered Raizel's blank expression.

Raizel sighed in response. "Frankenstein is doing everything he can but M-21 is still unwell."

"He's been sick since when?"

"M-21 collapsed before we left the island. He has been improving until he got ill again today."

 _That long? No wonder they all look so upset._

"Things happen even if you've been very careful," Muzaka observed. The minute crease of Raizel's brow showed he erred on that statement. What was with tonight that he kept saying the wrong words?

"So how did you meet him?" Muzaka steered the conversation to a safer subject.

"M-21 was entrusted to us." Raizel did not elaborate further.

"Must be a long story. Maybe you can tell me next time we see each other." Muzaka clapped Raizel on the shoulder. It was probably not even a year since he joined Raizel and Frankenstein's household, yet M-21 appeared to have a profound effect on them.

"And don't be too anxious about M-21. With Frankenstein in charge I'm sure he'll get better in no time." Muzaka walked a few steps ahead of Raizel and turned to face him.

"I'll see you around." With that, Muzaka leapt to the sky. The cool night air contrasted with the warmth that still clung to the fingers M-21 held.

Muzaka gazed at his right hand and mentally shook himself to get rid of the strange yet familiar sentiment beginning to take root in his heart. Not only was it presumptuous, it was distracting as well. And if the situation was indeed as dire as he believed then he had no time to spare on distractions.


	2. Chapter 2

Frankenstein returned to M-21's room after wrapping up his work in the lab. He took a moment to observe the other RK members then decided to send them off to bed, to their dismay.

"It's almost midnight and we have a busy day tomorrow," he said. "M-21 will probably wake up by then."

Nobody moved from their positions. Frankenstein repressed a sigh. Of all the time to be stubborn. "You know the last thing we need is for M-21's caregivers to fall asleep on him."

Seira was first to comply, patting M-21's right hand before pushing her chair back. Tao set down the hand towels he fetched. Regis checked if M-21 was sufficiently covered with his blanket and stepped away as well.

"Are you sure you don't want one of us to stay?" Takeo confirmed.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll see you tomorrow." Everyone filed out of the room at the clear dismissal and soon enough, Frankenstein was alone with M-21.

Raizel arrived and found Frankenstein studying data on the monitors. He padded to a chair on the bed's right side, saving the one closest to M-21 for Frankenstein. There was a fine sheen of sweat on M-21's face so he went about securing a towel to dab it off when Frankenstein beat him to it.

Done with the task, Frankenstein sat down and with his head bowed murmured, "I'm sorry, Master, my behavior a while ago was totally uncalled for."

"We both know who you really owe an apology to," was Raizel's astute response.

No words were further exchanged between them as Frankenstein focused on M-21, whose temperature was already close to dropping to forty degrees Celsius.

A few more hours flew by. M-21's fever was nearly down to thirty-nine degrees Celsius. Frankenstein and Raizel saw his right hand curling into a loose fist.

M-21 let out a groan and sluggishly opened his eyes.

Frankenstein released the pent-up breath he did not even know he was holding.

Raizel leaned forward in his seat, all the better to confirm what his eyes were seeing. "M-21…"

M-21 moved his head in search of the voices and recognized the blurred figures to his right as his vision cleared. No sound came out as he tried to call them by name, his too dry and painful throat an impediment.

"Don't try to talk yet." Frankenstein headed to the kitchenette and came back with a glass of water that included a bendy straw. Before long, M-21 drained the whole glass and was looking expectantly at him so he went to get a refill.

M-21 drank half of the water until his thirst was satiated. Sinking back on his pillow, he fixed his gaze on the pair by his bedside.

"Rai. Fra—why's your name so long?" M-21 mumbled in a voice faint and rough from lack of use.

Frankenstein almost laughed at the complaint. His Master's name was longer by far. "Calling me 'Boss' works fine with me."

"That's not your name. That's your job," M-21 said.

 _It will be best for you to find a nickname._

Frankenstein could imagine the delicate wrinkling of Raizel's eyes by the subtle amusement in his tone.

 _Perhaps we can ask M-21 for suggestions?_

Frankenstein practically spluttered but kept a straight face after remembering the advice from Muzaka. "Point taken." Switching to doctor mode he asked M-21, "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

At that, M-21 knitted his brows. "It's cold and everything hurts."

Raizel reached out to pat M-21 on the hand. "It will be over soon. Frankenstein here is doing everything he can for you to get well."

"Your medicine's already working, so it won't be long and the pain will be gone." Frankenstein dabbed a fresh towel on M-21's forehead and his sweat-soaked hair. Next, he dipped the towel he removed in the nearby basin, wrung it out and restored it to its previous location.

M-21 heaved a sigh as the cool towel somewhat eased the throbbing in his head. He returned to staring at Frankenstein and Raizel. "I had a strange dream…"

Raizel and Frankenstein waited with bated breath for M-21 to tell them more.

"There was purple…and black…and screaming…"

Raizel glanced at Frankenstein then ventured, "Were you frightened?"

"Yes." M-21 was quick to affirm. "But there was a sound. Then it was warm….and safe."

"The purple and black," Frankenstein began, his voice laced with remorse, "that was me."

"No, I'm sure that's Dark Spear…being noisy and all," M-21 declared.

Frankenstein conceded with a sigh. "Still, that wouldn't have happened if I controlled myself better—"

M-21 was outright frowning at him. "Did you do it on purpose?"

"Did I what?" Frankenstein faltered at the question. "I—wait, I don't think that makes—"

"It's an accident," M-21 pressed. "Will you do it again?"

Frankenstein wanted to argue his case, wanted M-21 to find fault in his actions. But his self-deprecating thoughts petered out at how unhappy M-21 looked. "Very well, I'll try not to." This he could promise at least.

"That's good enough for me." M-21 patted Frankenstein on his left cuff. "We're good."

Frankenstein broke into a small smile as something inside him lifted. "You should go back to sleep. It'll help with your recovery."

M-21 frowned again and tried to tug at Frankenstein's sleeve. "But I have to tell you something. I just forgot what."

"It's alright," Frankenstein replied as he freed his sleeve from M-21's grasp, "you can tell me when you're all better—"

"No, I really…have to tell you now." M-21 turned silent, his eyes going half-mast that Raizel and Frankenstein assumed he was going to fall asleep in the next few minutes.

"Cockroaches…" M-21 piped up, baffling Raizel and Frankenstein in the process, "are very hard to kill…right? I might have…cockroach genes somewhere." He had to blink several times to drive the sleepiness away. "Can you check?"

Frankenstein's tone was gentler as he answered, "I don't need to check. You don't have a shred of cockroach genes, I assure you."

"Really?" M-21 was scarcely able to stifle his yawn.

"Yes, really. Why would I lie to you about that?" Frankenstein gave in and carded his fingers through M-21's hair. "Go back to sleep. When you wake up everything will be better."

"Okay." M-21 shifted a little to find a more comfortable position. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, M-21," Raizel and Frankenstein responded, though they were both aware it was almost 3:00 a.m.

At last, M-21's breathing evened out. Frankenstein withdrew his hand and sat back.

 _Really, this child. Not even twenty-five minutes awake and already making people go through a myriad of emotions._

 _Frankenstein, what are cockroaches and why is M-21 comparing himself to them?_

 _Ah, of course, Master doesn't know what cockroaches are,_ Frankenstein realized. _It'd be a shame if he encountered one of those abominations in the house or at school_.

So Frankenstein went into a lengthy talk about what cockroaches were, browsing the Net on his phone for some pictures and a video or two for Raizel to see. He even touched on their chances of survival in a nuclear holocaust.

 _We must have been remiss if he still views himself as small, dirty and insignificant._ Whether due to delirious rambling, a brutally honest self-assessment or both, Raizel was not pleased M-21 referred to himself as such.

 _Old habits die hard, especially if they'd been drilled into him for years,_ Frankenstein observed. _I think M-21's improved, though he's bound to slip on occasion._

 _I would rather he forget about this._

 _Master?_ There was an alarmed undercurrent in Frankenstein's voice.

 _Do not fret, I have no intention of wiping M-21's memory. Much has already been taken from him. I only wish he will not remember the bad parts._

No mirror was required for Frankenstein to tell he was red as a tomato at the implication.

 _We really must find you a nickname,_ Raizel solemnly decreed.

 _Master…_

* * *

It took two more hours for M-21's fever to completely break, and another hour for him to open his eyes for a second time that day.

Several details caught M-21's attention once he was free from his sleepy haze. There was the rhythmic yet unobtrusive beeping of a machine. There were things attached to his left hand and his chest. And he was not in his room because the ceiling had a very nice shade of green to it—

"Master, you were right about that color," someone spoke, to which another voice hummed in reply.

The voices were very familiar. M-21 turned his gaze to the persons in his peripheral vision. "Raizel-nim…Boss…" he rasped before his throat acted up and he started coughing.

Frankenstein poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the side table, added a straw and instructed M-21 to take slow sips.

"Where am I?" M-21 managed to ask afterwards in a frail voice.

"In the lab," Frankenstein replied. "The hospital wing, to be precise."

"You finished it?" M-21 regarded the room appreciatively. They just finalized the blueprints for the area last time. "It looks great."

"Well, there was a very urgent need for it." Frankenstein had to point out.

M-21 recalled the excruciating pain that overwhelmed him as everything went black. "How long was I out?"

"It has been seven days since we rescued you," Raizel answered.

"Seven days?" M-21 began to squirm in an attempt to push himself up from the bed, to Frankenstein and Raizel's horror.

"You shouldn't do that." Frankenstein placed a hand on M-21's chest to halt his movements. "I'm going to raise your bed, alright?" He adjusted the head of the bed's angle from fifteen degrees to thirty degrees and made sure M-21 was comfortable in the more elevated position.

Meanwhile, Raizel busied himself with pulling up and smoothing out M-21's blanket.

In the midst of this activity, they did not notice the door unlocking and the rest of the household spilling into the room.

"M-21!" Until Tao's exclamation, that is.

"Not so loud, please." Tao's voice rang over and over in his head and made M-21 wince.

"Sorry," Tao apologized in a near-whisper while he and the others drew closer. "I mean, you're awake…"

"Yeah, took me a while, though."

"Welcome back, nevertheless," Takeo said the perfect words to describe the household's sentiment.

All eyes fell on Seira as she reached forward and brushed M-21's hair to the side. "How are you feeling?"

M-21 blinked at the action. "Like I've been mauled by werewolves then thrown off a skyscraper at least four times," he responded without a second thought.

Tao and Takeo tried hard not to laugh and ended up snorting instead. Someone who sounded like Karias also chuckled.

M-21 gave the question a more serious consideration. "I'm mostly tired and sore. A little cold too. I'll live."

"Hmph, as if you'd get taken down that easily," Rael uttered, earning stares from the room's occupants.

M-21 could feel his lips curling into a smirk. "Did you just compliment me?"

"Don't delude yourself, I'm merely stating a fact." The lack of enmity in Rael's words belied his crossed arms and arched eyebrow.

"If you say so." M-21 did not push the subject. There was something else he had to find out, anyway. "What day is it? Raizel-nim says it's been seven days since I got rescued."

So Regis told M-21 the exact day and date, and they could almost see the cogs turning in his head.

Then it clicked. "It's exam week, aren't you supposed to be at Ye Ran?" The question was addressed to everyone yet M-21's eyes were set on Seira and Regis.

"It's still early so they all came to see you," Frankenstein was quick to say before anyone could get a word in edgewise. A glance to the left and he saw the time.

"But they have to go now because the clock's ticking." He started herding the others out, leaving M-21 alone with Raizel.

"I will be taking my exams next week," was Raizel's succinct explanation after spotting how puzzled M-21 appeared.

M-21 was well aware Raizel could do whatever pleased him. And he was likely still recovering from his injuries too. A pang of guilt began to bloom in M-21 at the reminder.

Something touched his hand, disrupting his train of thought. Or rather someone.

"It is good to have you back." Raizel continued to pat M-21 until Tao sauntered inside.

Tao gave M-21 a jaunty salute. "Your nurse for the day reporting for duty." He walked over to the chair beside Raizel and sat there. "Is there anything I can do for you or anything you need?"

M-21's brows wrinkled at the niggling suspicion he was forgetting something important. It came to him when his eyes strayed to his hands. "My nails…"

Nowadays, M-21 had to file his supposedly blunt, human nails whenever he changed back from his werewolf transformation because they retained sharpness akin to his claws. It was a recent development they discovered the hard way following an incident involving Frankenstein's favorite vintage curtains, the sofa and Takeo's newly-bought dress shirt.

"I filed them as soon as I got the chance." Tao held M-21's right hand and pressed his palm against M-21's fingernails. He showed his uninjured palm. "See, all blunt. So no worries, you're not gonna rip anything or poke anyone by accident."

"Thanks." M-21 was relieved at having one less thing to be concerned about. "There's a bathroom here, right?" After Tao confirmed this he went on, "Maybe I can at least wash my face—"

"Actually, there's something we've been doing that'll be easier now you're awake." Frankenstein joined the conversation.

Raizel presumed this as his cue and left so Frankenstein had leeway to explain his plan.

M-21 was hesitant at first but granted his consent in the end. Knowing Frankenstein, Tao and Takeo were in charge of the more sensitive aspects of his care made matters less discomfiting.

That and he really wanted a bath, never mind if it had to be done while he was in bed.

M-21 had a check-up as Tao carried out the preparations for his bath, and learned he ran a fever yesterday that broke only this early morning. Frankenstein declined to give further details and told him to focus on getting as much rest as possible. Although quite perturbed by the evasive response, M-21 chose to heed Frankenstein's advice for now.

* * *

Baths could surely do wonders, of this M-21 was convinced. He was still exhausted and achy everywhere, yet it felt like all was right in the world after his bath.

 _Anyone's mood will improve if they didn't feel so grimy,_ M-21 mused as he watched Tao and Frankenstein make swift work of changing the bed sheet, blanket and pillows from his position on the sofa.

Tao asked if he was okay. "I'm fine," M-21 replied before a yawn overtook him. He just woke up and he was already drowsy?

M-21 did not protest when Frankenstein lifted him again. Tao was also close by and took charge of guiding his IV stand. Once he was settled in bed, Frankenstein extracted his blood and brought it to the lab for testing.

At M-21's request, Tao readjusted the head of the bed's angle to forty-five degrees like Frankenstein taught them. "You're still cold?" He just finished putting a pillow behind M-21 and caught him shivering a little.

M-21 nestled in his blanket. "Unfortunately, yes."

"I have just the thing for you." Tao went to the built-in closet and got what M-21 assumed was a blue gray shirt. Unfolding it revealed that it was a button-up shawl collar cardigan.

"Up you go." Tao slid his right arm behind M-21 to assist him in sitting. The cardigan was laid on M-21's shoulders. "I hope this helps." His eyes wandered to M-21's left hand. "Ah, wait, I have to get your IV—"

"It's alright, I probably shouldn't wear the sleeves in case Boss needs to do something." M-21 drew the cardigan closer. "I don't remember owning anything like this."

"Well, now you do." Tao smoothed the cardigan down M-21's back.

M-21 held one of the sleeves and admired the complex patterns on it. The cardigan seemed handmade so it must be expensive. "Who am I supposed to pay for buying me this?"

Tao laughed. "You're not supposed to pay for your gift, silly." He helped M-21 lie back and was now occupied with fixing his blanket.

M-21's eyebrows rose. Was it just him or was there a bashful undertone to Tao's statement? "You made this?" he hazarded a guess.

"Well, yeah, so how is it?" Tao asked. "I used your uniform measurements as reference so the fit should be just right. And the color, I actually had several options but I think you look—"

"It's warm." M-21 was moved by the kind gesture. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Tao grinned from ear to ear. Choosing to create the garment rather than dwelling on his anxious thoughts on those nights sleep was elusive was all worth it. He dropped his voice. "Hey, just between you and me, I'm gonna knit something for everybody in time for winter."

M-21 wore a conspiratorial expression. "My lips are sealed."

Just then, the door opened and everyone aside from Raizel and Frankenstein trooped in the room.

"Fresh from the garden." Karias set a glass vase of colorful blooms on the console table in M-21's view.

Rael placed an olive green pillow with bamboo leaf patterns beside M-21. "Here, in case you need another one." He pushed on before M-21 could say something. "It's cheap, you don't need to pay me. Not that you have to in the first place."

"Uh, okay?" was the only response M-21 could think of.

Tao prodded at the pillow to test its softness. "This is a nice looking pillow you got here. Where'd you buy it?"

"I was out on patrol and found it in a sale." Rael's chest puffed at his accomplishment. "The store staff said it's a memory pillow. And it's the last piece."

Tao deflated at that. "Aw, bummer, I was gonna buy one for me."

Takeo came pushing a food trolley and announced, "Seira and Regis prepared something good."

M-21 remembered the last meal he had was when he gave a burger to Kentas. No doubt, Ignes was sorely lacking in hospitality.

"We're heading to Ye Ran now," Seira declared on behalf of everyone.

"See you later," M-21 responded, Regis' intense stare not escaping his notice.

"This time I will not get a mere passing grade on that subject," Regis promised.

M-21 smirked back. "I expect nothing less from you."

Tao uncovered the bowl with M-21's name once everybody left, and the scent of chicken soup wafted in the air. The eager look on M-21's face made him smile. "I think breakfast is in order."

Which turned out to be easier said than done because M-21 could barely hold his hand up, much less feed himself. It only lasted for a split second, yet Tao did not miss his disappointed pout.

"Now don't be hard on yourself, you just woke up after all." Tao ladled out some of the soup into a smaller bowl and stirred it with a spoon.

"Boss figured those bastards probably didn't feed you anything and you've been asleep for quite some time so we oughta start off with something light." Tao took hold of the bowl in one hand. "And I'm supposed to help you with this sort of thing—"

"You're not going to say or do something ridiculous?" M-21 had to make sure for his sanity.

"I have a self-imposed ban on strange ideas," Tao replied then winked impishly. "So, nope, nothing about airplanes, I swear."

In the lab, Frankenstein was immersed in organizing his tasks. Tests and data required careful study. Samples must be processed. Medications had to be formulated—

"Are your tasks so urgent you cannot spare time for rest?" Raizel finally asked after watching him in silence for the last several minutes.

Frankenstein paused and offered what he thought was a reassuring but was actually a thin smile. "I can still last a few more hours, Master."

Raizel beheld Frankenstein's weary countenance. "Just because you can does not mean that you should," he echoed an adage he heard from Takeo not long ago. "M-21 is not in immediate danger, correct?"

At Frankenstein's confirmatory nod Raizel continued, "I know there is much to do, but you need to take a break."

The dull pain at the back of Frankenstein's head spiked for a moment, an affirmation he was in need of a respite. He sighed in defeat and did not put up a resistance when he was shepherded out of the lab. Raizel clasped his shoulder just as the elevator arrived.

"You did well. We would have lost M-21 if not for you."

A hint of trepidation slipped into their Link before Frankenstein cut off the connection.

Raizel contemplated Frankenstein's reaction while making his way back to M-21 and Tao. Frankenstein had not been forthcoming about some details on M-21's status, that much he knew. However, there was an appropriate time and place for that conversation. Right now, the soundest course of action would be to let Frankenstein have his well-earned rest.

* * *

M-21 spent most of the day sleeping. And he could not apologize enough for it.

"You're tired. You rest when you're tired. Sleep is a great form of rest," Tao justified not for the first time. "And we're not here for you to entertain."

Raizel hummed in agreement while patting M-21's IV-free left hand.

M-21 assumed dinner would be a quiet affair with just Takeo to keep him company. At least he would not be much of a bother now he could already eat on his own. Besides, the others would probably drop by after they were done having dinner.

Regis and Seira came with food, and right behind them were Tao, Karias and Rael with a long folding table and a trolley of chinaware, glasses and cutlery. Dinner was set within minutes. Raizel and Frankenstein made their appearance not long after.

Seira arranged M-21's overbed table and deposited a steaming bowl of vegetable soup on it. Meanwhile, Frankenstein finished serving Raizel his ramyeon.

Raizel surveyed everyone and satisfied with what he saw remarked, "It has been so long since we all had dinner together." There were nods and sounds of agreement from the table.

M-21 sat there in stunned silence.

Frankenstein caught his dumbfounded expression. "M-21, that soup's best eaten while hot."

Seira paused with unfolding her napkin, her attention shifting to M-21. "Is there something wrong with the food?"

Takeo was already moving from his seat. "Do you need help?"

"No, it's fine." M-21 ignored the lump in his throat. "The food's fine. I'm fine." He grasped the spoon laid out for him. "I'm fine so let's eat."

No one made a comment on how shaky his voice was.

After dinner, M-21 got ready for bed with Takeo's aid while the others tidied up. Then he opted to sit and lean on the overbed table seeing he had no intention of sleeping anytime soon.

Seira and Regis returned with their books and writing materials. Raizel also arrived with Tao carrying his school items. Earlier, Regis and Seira admitted they still needed to go over some subjects when M-21 asked how prepared they were for their exams. Raizel likewise let it slip that he was yet to do any studying.

"Are you sure we can do this here?" Regis confirmed as soon as he set his things on the round four-seater table a few steps away from the foot of M-21's bed. "You're supposed to be resting."

"It's early and I've been resting almost all day," M-21 said. "Don't mind me."

The Nobles decided to review on their own first for other subjects then go over their math lessons as a group afterwards. Tao and Takeo, and to some extent M-21, offered their assistance.

The individual study session finished an hour later. Tao cracked open a math workbook and read one of the algebra problems aloud for Raizel, Seira and Regis to solve.

"The answer's twenty-eight." M-21 realized his slip-up as soon as the words left his mouth. "Oops."

Takeo flipped through the pages of another workbook until he found the answer key at the back. "Yeah, that's correct."

"As to why that's the right answer…" Tao and everyone else waited for M-21 to explain, the Nobles even had their pens ready to jot down the solution. They only received a tired blink in reply.

"Well, that's for you to find out," Takeo concluded and snapped the workbook closed.

"Let's see." Tao scanned the workbook in his hand. "Maybe you can also answer the rest of the problems on page eighteen?"

M-21 dropped his chin on his arms and observed Seira, Regis and Raizel work with a tenacity fit for their worst enemies. The sounds of pens gliding on paper and pages turning were soothing to his ears.

"Then M-21 can help check your answers after you're done. Right, M?" Tao set his sight on M-21. "Okaay, on second thought, maybe not…"

The others looked towards M-21 and found him already asleep on the overbed table.

"M-21, you're going to hurt your back sleeping like that," Takeo warned. There was no reaction. He was about to walk over when M-21 stirred and raised his head.

"I'm awake, I just closed my eyes a bit." M-21's bleary mien made his claim quite unconvincing.

Takeo came to M-21's bedside and guided him so he was reclining on the bed. "Okay, but you should lie down now."

"I heard something about checking answers." M-21 held the edge of his blanket after Takeo draped it on him.

Tao waved him off. "Never mind that, you should go ahead and sleep."

"Or I can wait for you to finish." M-21 pulled the blanket down and made himself more alert.

There were glances exchanged among the household and a silent consensus to let M-21 have his way.

Takeo stayed close by and witnessed how hard M-21 fought to remain awake. He stepped in after M-21 roused from nodding off for the fourth time. "That's enough, M-21, you should really go to sleep—"

"I don't want to sleep," M-21 replied then corrected, "I can't sleep, I'm not supposed to sleep."

Raizel and the others broke off from their task, sensing they were not talking about checking answers anymore.

"What do you mean?" Takeo kept his voice level and demeanor calm. "Is there a problem? Are you not feeling well?" He laid a palm on M-21's forehead to check if he was coming down again with a fever, only to find he was cool to the touch.

M-21 spoke not a single word. The fear that began to suffuse his features was loud enough.

"Come on, M, you gotta tell us what's wrong," Tao persuaded. They all gathered around M-21's bed. "We have to know so we can help—"

"What if this is just a very elaborate dream I cooked up and sleeping means I'll wake and find myself still with the werewolves?" M-21 curled his hands on the blanket. "I got lucky before, but what if next time…" He struggled to keep from trembling. "No, I'd rather stay asleep and be here—"

Raizel closed the distance and enveloped M-21's right hand with his left hand. "M-21, look at me, please."

M-21 did as asked, and Raizel was almost overwhelmed by how painfully young and afraid he was.

Raizel held M-21's gaze and attested with quiet conviction, "You are home and you are safe."

M-21 continued to stare. Raizel wanted to assure him all the more that he was now out of harm's way. "This is not a dream." His grip on M-21 grew a little tighter. "You are home."

After what seemed to be forever, M-21 blinked and dropped his eyes. The hand warmed by Raizel's touch looked so interesting. "I'm sorry I got scared over nothing."

"If it frightens you this much then it is something." Raizel squeezed M-21's hand a little, coaxing him to let go of the blanket. Once M-21 slackened his hold, Raizel pulled the blanket to his chest and made sure he was snug under it.

"Sorry I doubted you," M-21 whispered.

"There is no need to apologize." Raizel caressed M-21 on the head to brush his hair. "It is not even an entire day since you woke up. You are still healing. We will just have to make you remember should you ever get confused again."

M-21 meant to point out that Raizel was in a rather talkative mood, but his mind kept coming back to how the hand running through his hair was firm and gentle all at once. It further anchored him, drew him into the moment and the truth it represented.

"Sleep, M-21," Raizel encouraged. "Tomorrow when you wake up, you will still be here. Home and safe."

M-21 gave in at last to the exhaustion that seemed to have settled deep in his bones. Just as he was about to slip into oblivion, a stray thought came to him—or a memory perhaps—of someone reminding him there were people who care for him very much.

Frankenstein was so engrossed with work and nearly lost track of time if not for the alarm on his phone. His hurried pace slowed as he moved closer to M-21's room. After relaxing his shoulders and checking his hair did not resemble a bird's nest, Frankenstein opened the door only to be met by a melancholic atmosphere.

That was strange. Dinner ended on an optimistic note and the study session should have progressed without a hitch as well. Though the way everyone sat close around M-21 as if to shield him from an unseen enemy, schoolwork forgotten…

 _I will explain later,_ he deciphered as his questioning gaze connected with Raizel's.

Frankenstein took extra care in examining M-21 so as not to disturb his slumber, and was pleased to find he showed no signs of relapse.

"Alright, you know the drill, visiting hours are over," Frankenstein declared while collecting Raizel's things. "Takeo, Seira—"

"Boss," Tao cut in, "can't we stay here for the night?"

"Tao," Raizel spoke up, "it has been a long day. You and Regis should get some sleep." For a final time he stroked M-21's hair then walked away from his bedside.

"But…" Tao's eyes sought help from the other RK members.

There was an imperceptible shake of Seira's head along with Regis' resigned expression. Takeo was apologetic yet stayed mum.

"Right, it's Seira and Takeo's turn to stay tonight," Tao conceded. "Sorry about that."

Regis and Tao excused themselves once they reached the ground floor. Raizel sauntered into the living room and Frankenstein followed suit. Several moments passed as they stood in front of the floor to ceiling windows, watching the night march on until Raizel recounted the incident with M-21.

"I would like to have a word with you about him," Raizel disclosed afterwards.

There was a subtle flinch then a nod of acquiescence from Frankenstein. "Of course, Master—"

"Tomorrow, that is." Raizel turned to face Frankenstein. "As I said, it has been a long day. Yours might even be longer than ours." He retrieved his books and papers then clasped Frankenstein on the arm, to the latter's surprise.

"Knowledge is a heavy burden. I do not mind you sharing the burden with me." Raizel withdrew from Frankenstein's personal space. "I shall see you tomorrow. Rest for now."

"Yes, Master." Yet Frankenstein lingered there, listening until the sound of Raizel's footsteps vanished. His sigh was loud the instant he was certain no one was there to hear.

 _Seems it's time to let the proverbial cat out of the bag._ Frankenstein sighed once more as he trudged his way to his room. _Then_ _so be it._

* * *

M-21 was not sure what time it was, only that he should probably wake up right then.

So he cracked his eyes open and saw his bed was at an angle—

Wait, not his bed. The ceiling was not his either. M-21 sat up, rubbing the drowsiness away as he tried to recall why he was at the hospital wing. The one that was just blueprints and not an actual fully furnished room as far as he knew—

The memories crashed down like a ton of bricks and then some. And the more M-21 remembered, the more his face became unbearably hot.

Seira and Takeo were at the side observing M-21 stir and later grow red as the grogginess left him.

"Hey there"—Takeo flashed a reassuring smile at M-21— "good mor—"

M-21 threw a look at Takeo and Seira, blushed even harder before mumbling, "Excuse me, I need to get my feelings in order." He laid down again, dragging his blanket over his head as he did so.

Takeo regained enough wits to reply, "Ah, sure, take your time."

 _What the hell did I just say?_ M-21 groaned inwardly. His brain-to-mouth filter was definitely still not up and running this early in the day, but damn this was a little too much.

 _You're an adult, quit acting like a big baby,_ M-21 scolded. He drew deep, calming breaths and counted to ten and back in his head.

"You okay in there, M?" Takeo queried.

A minute passed, then another. Two hands snuck out from under the blanket and peeled it down until M-21 was back in view.

"I said some weird things last night, didn't I?" He sported a rosy tinge on his cheeks and refused to set his gaze on Takeo and Seira.

So that was it. Takeo met Seira's eyes. "Something weird? I don't remember anything like that."

Seira caught on fast. "I recall nothing of the sort either."

M-21 did not budge, though it seemed his flush was already receding.

"So as I was saying, good morning," Takeo repeated. Seira echoed a quiet greeting as well.

M-21 peeked at the pair. "Good morning." Then he was up and moving to leave the bed because he wanted to go to the bathroom. Takeo was by his side in an instant.

"I think I can manage." M-21 got to his feet. The absurd amount of rest he had yesterday proved useful since his legs were no longer doing an impersonation of a jelly. He released his grip on the bed's side rail and did not lose balance when he stepped forward. "Yeah, I can do this."

Nevertheless, Seira and Takeo were within arm's reach. M-21 eventually made it to the bathroom without incident. It was probably not even thirty steps, yet it was as if he won a prize to kick Crombel where it hurt. Takeo and Seira clapping at his small victory only cemented the notion.

M-21 freshened up and concluded his routine with another splash of cold water on his face. That ought to reduce the chances of him making a scene again. Outside, there was muffled conversation. He finished toweling off and exited the area.

Takeo and Seira ended their report at the sound of the bathroom doorknob turning. M-21 emerged and froze in his tracks.

"Good morning, M-21," Raizel said. Apparently, M-21 was quite self-conscious about what happened the previous night, so he and Frankenstein agreed it was to M-21's best interest that everybody carry on as normal.

M-21 resisted the urge to go back where he came from. Mustering all his confidence he responded, "Good morning." His ears were burning, though.

"Need help?" Frankenstein asked.

M-21 shook his head. "I got here on my own, I can get back there too." And did just that to prove his point.

"Good work." Frankenstein was beaming as he handed M-21 a small plastic cup once he was seated on the bed. At M-21's probing look he explained, "You're supposed to take that at this time."

M-21 spared a few seconds to watch a blue softgel capsule roll inside the cup as he tilted it from side to side. Finally, he popped the capsule in his mouth and drank the glass of water Frankenstein provided.

The rest of the household paid their visit and came by again prior to leaving for Ye Ran.

Raizel and Frankenstein joined Takeo and M-21 for breakfast later that morning. Takeo just dried the last of the dishes they used when Frankenstein announced M-21 would be undergoing a check-up at the lab.

"Might as well be on my way." M-21 shed his blanket and dangled his legs off the bed. Given the distance and how sluggish he was, it would take him a while to turn up at the main lab.

"Hold that thought" —Frankenstein did not bother hiding how appalled he was by the idea— "who said you're going to walk your way there?" He instructed Takeo to bring M-21 to the lab in half an hour then set off to make preparations. Raizel silently trailed after him.

The thirty-minute mark soon drew close. "It's almost time for your appointment. Wait here." Takeo left the room and returned with a wheelchair.

"Your carriage has arrived, Sir," was his solemn declaration that had M-21 snort in amusement.

Once he confirmed M-21 was secure in the wheelchair Takeo disclosed, "I don't think I've ever handled one of these."

M-21 looked at him dead in the eye.

Takeo smiled as confidently as possible. "But I did practice runs so we're all set."

"Just don't go be a speed demon on me. Wait" —M-21 started turning this way and that— "does this thing have a seatbelt?"

"No, it doesn't." Takeo fake scowled at M-21. "And what do you take me for, a reckless driver?" Walking to the back, he held the wheelchair handles and gave a slight push. "Ready? Let's head out, shall we?"

M-21's grip on the armrests was tight as he braced himself.

* * *

"—I didn't take you for a reckless passenger." Were the words Frankenstein and Raizel heard the moment the main lab's automatic door swished open to grant Takeo and M-21 entry.

"Of course not, you were going way below the speed limit." M-21's answer had a rare, playful undertone to it.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know there's a minimum speed required for wheelchair pushing," Takeo quipped back.

"Maybe I should do the driving next time—"

Frankenstein cleared his throat and the pair ceased with their banter.

"We're not late, are we?" M-21 inquired.

"You're just in time." Frankenstein tapped the examination table at his side. "Come, I need to get your vital signs before I do your scans."

The check-up was over in less than an hour. Frankenstein gathered the printouts he made and compared them to the ones in M-21's file. He even opened several documents on his computer and looked over those as well.

In the meantime, M-21 sat waiting on the examination table. His file was not that thick, he pretty was sure of it. But then again, his stay in the Werewolf Island was no picnic and not painless. M-21 drew his eyes off Frankenstein and let them roam around the lab.

Nothing was out of place. The room was spotless and—was that a crack on the ceiling? M-21 squinted a bit. It seemed part of the ceiling a few paces from where they were got chipped off after something hit it with great force.

There was a nudge on his arm, pulling M-21 from further contemplating on what caused the ceiling to sustain such damage.

Takeo, sitting to M-21's left, nudged him with his elbow a second time and murmured, "You okay?"

Raizel was likewise gazing at M-21 with concern from his seat across them.

It was then M-21 noticed he had been fiddling with a button on his cardigan all the while. Anymore and he could have ripped it off.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I guess." He smoothed the cardigan's front and rested his right hand down the table.

Takeo shifted a little, close enough for M-21 to lean on his shoulder if he wanted to.

"Alright." Frankenstein brought the clipboard with the latest printouts as he strode over to M-21. "Two things. One, you haven't suffered a relapse, which is good."

A relapse from what? However, it appeared Frankenstein was still not inclined to offer information and did not further elaborate his statement. M-21 restrained a huff. "And the other thing?"

"You're well enough to be discharged, but under certain conditions." Frankenstein hoped this news was enough to appease M-21 for the moment. He mentioned the conditions, emphasizing they must be strictly adhered to. "How are you feeling now?"

 _Very confused,_ M-21 was close to blurting out. Instead, he did a brief assessment and reported, "A little tired, a little cold, a little sore and in dire need of a bath."

A long soak in the bath would really be useful right now, what with all the things he needed to ponder on. Alas, M-21's hopes were dashed after Frankenstein said he could only take a fifteen-minute shower at the most.

"One more thing and we're done." Frankenstein entered the drug storeroom and came out with a plastic cup. He also made a quick stop at the refrigerator just outside the storeroom and grabbed a bottle of water. "Here you go." Frankenstein held them out to M-21.

M-21 accepted the proffered items. Inside the cup was an oblong, light orange pill. "And this is?"

"You're supposed to take that after breakfast."

Again, with the vague answer. M-21 stared long and hard at Frankenstein, who merely flashed another calming smile. He bit back his exasperated sigh and downed the pill.

"And with that you're free to go." Frankenstein wrote something on the papers on his clipboard while M-21 transferred to his wheelchair. "Don't forget what I told you. I'll come by later to check on you, alright?"

Takeo was maneuvering the wheelchair to the door when M-21 requested that he pause.

"Oh, by the way…" M-21 began.

Frankenstein would never admit even under duress how his blood ran cold at M-21's nonchalant yet foreboding tone.

M-21 extended his left pointer finger in the direction of the ceiling right above them, compelling Raizel, Takeo and Frankenstein to raise their eyes as well. "What happened to the ceiling?"

The three just about did a collective wince at not spotting earlier that the ceiling was damaged.

"A minor accident," was Frankenstein's unruffled response. "I'm sure it won't jeopardize the lab's structural integrity, but we'll do an inspection to be on the safe side." He motioned for Takeo to move along. "Now off you go, you still need to pack."

The last thing Raizel and Frankenstein heard as the door was closing was M-21 worrying they might take too long to pack, and Takeo guaranteeing they would not.

The smile disappeared from Frankenstein's face. He removed the printouts from the clipboard and retrieved M-21's folder to add them there, only to find there was no more space. Rummaging in his supply cabinet, he obtained a new folder and filed the printouts page by page. After that, he organized the files in his computer and tidied around the lab. He even dedicated several minutes to examining the ceiling.

Raizel could have called out Frankenstein for dawdling, but chose to wait until he was no longer occupied with his tasks.

To say Frankenstein was stalling would not be a lie. And his excuses were running out fast. Casting a look at the security monitor, he caught sight of M-21 and Takeo as they were boarding the elevator.

And there went his last excuse. Frankenstein pressed one of the buttons on the console to activate the door's lock mechanism.

Had he been a lesser man he would have poured himself a stiff drink to get through with what he was about to do. But Frankenstein was no such person, so he sat on his chair with all the grace of one carrying too heavy a burden.

Then he proceeded to let the proverbial cat out of the bag.

* * *

"Can you remind me again why the elevator's just up to the ground floor?" Takeo requested. They were staring at the seemingly endless flight of stairs that would take them to the second floor.

"Because normal houses aren't supposed to have elevators?" M-21 replied.

"Guess there's no helping it." Takeo slipped off the duffle bag slung on his back and deposited it on the floor by the stairs. Digging in his pants pocket, he pulled out a black ribbon and gathered his ponytail into a bun atop his head. Takeo gestured for M-21 to hand over his pillow and it joined the duffle bag.

M-21, catching drift of what Takeo had in mind, locked the brake on the wheelchair and stood. To his astonishment, Takeo knelt with his back towards him.

"Hop on."

"You're kidding, right?" M-21 could not decide whether he was mortified or fascinated by the offer. Not once did M-24 make an attempt at something like this when he was alive.

"It's this or I'm helping with your shower—" Takeo felt M-21's arms go around his shoulders. The rest of M-21's weight transferred to his back.

"Let's go before I change my mind."

"Okay, just give me a minute." Takeo interlocked his fingers under M-21's legs and carefully rose to his full height. The urge to sock a certain Noble in the face came over him all of a sudden. Someone of M-21's build and stature should not weigh this little. Shoving the feeling aside, Takeo plastered a smile and in a cheerful voice announced, "This noble steed will take you to your bedchamber at your behest, Sir."

"What," M-21 asked between chuckles, "am I supposed to say 'giddy-up' or something?"

"Aha, there's my cue." Takeo started climbing the stairs and reached the second floor in no time. He continued down the hallway to their left after adjusting his hold on M-21. "How's the view up there?"

"It's not so bad." Some escaped strands from Takeo's messy hair bun were tickling M-21 on the cheek. "I get to be taller than you just this once. There's just a lot of magenta." This back-riding business was not bad M-21 had to acknowledge, but he was nowhere near the size of Regis and not that light. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't fine with it." Takeo smiled again for M-21, vowing never to breathe a word that no, carrying him was not so hard now because he probably had the same weight as Tao or at worse Rael. "We're here."

They entered another hallway a moment ago and were approaching the nearest of the four doors there. Takeo lowered to a crouch to allow M-21 to alight then moved to the side.

M-21 blinked at the door and tried to recall what state he left his room in. Should he and Takeo go inside? The place must be covered by a layer of dust with how long he was gone.

"Trust me, the door won't bite you," Takeo opined as he unbound the ribbon in his hair.

Well then, they would just have to do a bit of cleaning. M-21 grasped the doorknob and pushed, the door giving way with nary a sound. Stepping further inside, he held his breath against the dust and musty odor he was expecting.

Sunlight shone through the open window. The curtains swaying in the breeze were different from what he remembered, as were his sheets, pillowcases and blanket. M-21 headed to the oak desk beside the window, trailed a finger on its surface and confirmed it was free of dust. The bottle of home-made reed diffuser on the mini cabinet on top of the desk had been replenished, spreading a touch of lavender scent in the space.

M-21 blinked again, the idea someone found time to clean his room finally sinking in. "Who?"

"Definitely not me." It was a story Takeo would rather leave for the concerned person to tell. "Maybe the Cleaning Fairy did it," he added in jest before exiting the room.

"Yeah, right, and maybe the Tooth Fairy's real," M-21 retorted as he stripped off his cardigan to hang it on the back of his desk swivel chair. After that, he walked over to his bed and sat down—

—and straight away regretted it, as the desire to roll around while wrapped in his blanket invaded his thoughts like that earworm of a song Tao kept singing a few weeks ago.

What. The. Hell. He needed that shower, stat, or else he would next be thinking about bouncing on the b—

M-21 was the picture of calm as he got up and made a beeline for the walk-in closet section of the bathroom. Apparently, they had a Laundry Fairy as well, if the vacant laundry hamper by the corner was an indication.

Takeo returned from downstairs and emptied the duffle bag of various articles of clothing to stow them in the cabinets. M-21 finished assembling his change of clothes and found Takeo puttering around in the wash area arranging toiletries on the sink.

"I'm going to have my shower now," M-21 clarified to avoid any misunderstanding.

"Okay." Takeo took long strides to the shower enclosure at the other end of the room and waited outside.

M-21 was positive his ears were turning red. Was Takeo serious about helping him shower? "Alone? As in all by myself—"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Takeo slid open the enclosure's door to check if everything was in order before going on his way out at last. Sticking his head around the bathroom door he told M-21, "I won't lock this so just holler if you need anything."

"Right, just don't come barging in," M-21 reminded just in case. He did a loud exhale once the door closed behind Takeo. Seriously, sometimes the guy was too helpful for his own good.

M-21 stepped under the shower, letting the warm cascade of water soothe and invigorate him. He set about laying down the facts he gathered so far.

For one, people were acting a little unusual, though not in a bad sort of way. They were kinder, more tolerant.

If the fray with the werewolves occurred when he was still part of the Union he would have been left for dead, useless throwaway he was to them.

And these people he was currently with, who he thought were only housemates, went out of their way to rescue him. Like he was someone worth all the trouble. Like he was someone important.

Maybe this was what it meant to be part of a family.

The water was definitely not the reason why his face was scalding now.

And then there was Frankenstein. M-21 sobered at the man's confounding behavior of late.

Frankenstein usually made time to explain things to him without being prompted. Heck, he even asked for M-21's consent and opinion. This norm was a far cry from the Union's modus operandi of doing whatever the hell they wanted because M-21 and his comrades were trash and therefore not entitled to anything.

Maybe Frankenstein was too busy to talk. Maybe he needed more information and was waiting until he had everything so he could tell M-21 in one go. Maybe he deemed M-21 not ready.

M-21 raised a hand. Could it be there was still something wrong with him? He was telling the truth when he said he was a little tired, sore and cold. These complaints aside, he felt fine. Although his fingers and wrist did seem a little too thin upon closer inspection.

Anyone who was out of commission for an entire week would be the same, right?

So maybe there was nothing to worry about and he was just overthinking.

 _If that's the case then why won't Frankenstein—_

There were several knocks on the door, followed by Takeo telling him he only had seven minutes to go.

M-21 puffed out a breath before running his hands through his hair to start rinsing off.

What to do, what to do…

For now, he would let the unusual treatment from everyone else slide seeing it mostly involved harmless acts. Unless someone decided to outclass Rael's odd gift giving stunt. M-21's eyes grew wide then he caught himself and dismissed the idea. No one would absolutely try to kiss him. Why would anyone even want to do that in the first place?

 _Okay, time to stop with the weird, off tangent thoughts._ M-21 ended his shower and left the enclosure. The rest of the bathroom was a little chilly, so he toweled off and dressed as fast as he could in his typical attire of a white T-shirt and black pants.

What about Frankenstein? M-21 draped a towel on his head, rubbing his hair with one hand while he retrieved his dirty clothes from the basket where he placed them. After dropping the clothes in the laundry hamper, he moved to the bench in the middle of the walk-in closet to resume working on his hair and his options.

He could try asking the others. But if Frankenstein covered his bases, which he probably did if he was this tight-lipped, then they were most likely instructed not to tell him anything.

Waiting was his best choice. Frankenstein probably had reasons for not yet giving him a proper explanation. Besides, it was still early. Maybe he would tell M-21 later in the day.

After all, M-21 had the right to know what was going on with him.

Or maybe he did not and he was too demanding—

M-21 gave his hair a too vigorous rub. This was not the Union—

Two knocks on the door. "M, are you done?" Takeo called out from the other side. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, go ahead." M-21 sighed and dropped his arms, already worn out from holding them up for a quite some time. It was in this state that Takeo found him.

A worried expression crossed Takeo's face. "What's wrong?" Already he was checking M-21 for signs of illness or injury.

"Nothing much, just my arms deciding to quit a job midway," was the rueful answer from M-21.

Takeo removed the towel on M-21's head. "Your hair's still dripping. Let me." He commenced gently patting M-21's hair and once satisfied it was dry enough inquired, "Think you can tolerate a little bit of noise?"

"Probably," M-21 answered. "My ears aren't sensitive anymore. Why?"

"Be right back." Takeo laid the towel next to M-21 then hurried off. He returned soon after wielding a hair dryer that he plugged into the power outlet on the floor beside the bench.

"Uh, where did that come from?" M-21 stared at the hair dryer in Takeo's hand like it was some kind of alien contraption for torture purposes.

"It's mine, why do you look so surprised?" Switching on the device Takeo explained, "This doesn't make so much noise like the others and it'll dry your hair really quick. Want to give it a try?"

M-21 had his misgivings but if there was one thing he was sure of, it was Takeo would not subject him to needless pain. "Okay."

That and he could just add this to the growing list of novel experiences he had been having so far.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt at all. But" —Takeo paused for emphasis— "do tell me if it gets uncomfortable, okay?" He adjusted the hair dryer's setting to medium before raking his fingers through a section of M-21's locks and raising it to begin his task.

And as promised, the procedure ended in a few minutes. Takeo kept moving M-21's hair this way and that, nonetheless.

Finally figuring out what he was doing, M-21 pointed out, "I have a comb, you know."

Takeo beamed at M-21. "It's fine. Your hair's manageable enough not to need one." That aside, he was mulling over if telling M-21 his hair was ridiculously soft would count as offensive.

"And we're done," Takeo announced after deftly arranging said hair into its usual side swept style. Then he disappeared into the bath area to hang M-21's towel on the heated towel rail mounted on the wall.

Meanwhile, M-21 drew near the sink and studied his reflection on the mirror. The person who gazed back had dark circles under his eyes and a rather pasty complexion.

 _Yup, definitely looked the part of someone who'd gone through the wringer._

Takeo showed up and clapped M-21 on the shoulders. "See, no need for a comb to fix your hair. Now come on" —he made M-21 face left and started to mock push him towards the open door— "you're supposed to be on bed rest."

"Alright, I'm going already." M-21 allowed himself to be led and crossed the threshold to his bedroom.

No sooner than he released M-21 that a chill swept through Takeo, freezing him where he stood—

" _ **Don't hold him down." Frankenstein ordered.**_

 _ **Takeo let go.**_

 _ **Blood was everywhere. On his shirt. The operating table. On the floor.**_

 _ **M-21 kept bleeding even as he was racked with seizures.**_

 _ **Then he went still.**_

 _ **A shrill beep filled the room.**_

 _ **Takeo bit the inside of his cheek—**_

—and reeled from the onslaught. He gripped the doorframe to get his bearings and drove the memory far away into the dark recesses of his mind. Takeo somehow quietly shut the door after him, eyes going frantic in his search until he found his target.

M-21, standing in front of the window, had his back to him and appeared to be holding something aloft.

 _He's right there._ Takeo could feel his nerves steadying at the sight as he moved closer.

M-21 lifted his cardigan, gave it a shake before slipping it on. The garment was an instant source of warmth and he made a mental note to consider buying a spare once he was allowed to leave the house.

 _And very much alive._ Takeo let out a slow, inaudible breath. He reached out with his left hand—

M-21 finished buttoning the cardigan and began running his hands down the sleeves to straighten them, wondering why Tao designed them in a way that only his fingers were visible if he did not fold over the cuffs at least once. Not that he minded since his hands would get warm too—

Something dropped on M-21's head and started mussing his hair. M-21 pressed his lips into a thin line as he turned to scowl at the culprit.

The somewhat annoyed expression M-21 wore almost had Takeo bursting into laughter. To his delight, there was even a pout thrown in the mix. He ruffled M-21's tresses once more before restoring them to their proper arrangement.

"There, there, it's already fixed so don't get mad, okay?" Takeo was very grateful his voice did not tremble in the slightest. Turning away from the window, he went over to M-21's bed and peeled back the comforter.

"Now, I really hate to burst your bubble, but bed rest involves actually getting in bed." Takeo stopped as a thought occurred to him. "Unless you need me to—"

M-21 raised a hand. "Don't finish that sentence." Call him paranoid, but he had a hunch Takeo was planning to carry him like some princess in distress. "I'm perfectly capable of getting myself there."

He padded the rest of the way and plopped down the bed. After stretching his legs out M-21 asked, "I don't have to lie down for this right?"

"I think lying back's good enough." Takeo stacked three pillows against the headboard and completed the pile by adding the one from Rael on top. "Here you go."

M-21 scooted backwards and settled on the pillows, his gaze following Takeo's movements as he pulled the comforter into place.

"Is there a problem?" The question was very hypocritical coming from him, and Takeo could only hope his momentary shift in disposition would go unnoticed.

"That's my line." It was fleeting, but M-21 was certain Takeo's haunted eyes were not a figment of his imagination. How could he fail to recognize the visage he and his comrades wore more often than not?

Takeo deposited the pillow he set aside on M-21's lap and sat on the mattress, angling slightly so he was facing him.

"I've never been better." A smile sprang from Takeo's lips, small yet sincere. He flattened a rumple on the blanket and kept running his hand over the spot even though it was already smooth. "But there is a small…favor I'd like to ask."

M-21 tilted his head to the side. A favor? "Go on."

Takeo gathered his thoughts for a few seconds then got down to it in the most benign tone he could manage. "I know it's part and parcel of our lifestyle, but can you please try not to scare us too much?"

M-21 jerked back. "Excuse me?"

Dead set on getting his point across Takeo continued, "What I'm trying to say is if you feel like you're about to pass out, give us some kind of signal so we can do something."

There were quite a few reasons why M-21 acted the way he did at the Werewolf Island. Now they seemed trivial against the fact he caused people undue worry. So he kept the words to himself.

"I'm not telling you this because I'm mad." Takeo hastened to add at M-21's downcast eyes. "I don't think anyone is. We're just worried—"

M-21 flinched and reflexively pinned his arms against his stomach.

"—and that's part of the territory." Casting aside the sinking feeling in his heart, Takeo began to pat the area on the blanket where M-21's knee was. "We're supposed to be concerned about you."

Why was it so hard for M-21 to believe there were people outside of the M-Series who also care for him?

M-21 raised his eyes and met Takeo's earnest stare. "I…I'm really not sure if I can make that kind of promise."

"The operative word is 'try'." Takeo reached further so he was now patting M-21 on the head. "Tao said it last night and I think it's worth repeating. You have to tell us if there's a problem so we can help. Because we might miss the signs and it might be too late."

"And if I have to carry you around on my back then I will." Takeo meant every word of it.

"Okay, I'll try," M-21 agreed at last. It was a really small thing considering all the trouble he already caused.

"Great, then we have ourselves a deal." Takeo was almost tempted to pull M-21 in a headlock so he could ruffle his hair again. Maybe he would do it once M-21 was fully recovered.

There was a lull in conversation, so Takeo took the chance to grab M-21's swivel chair and bring it by the bed. He remembered something just as he sank down the cushion. "By the way, your editor called last Monday."

The news had M-21's wandering mind come to a screeching halt, only for it to begin racing as he scrambled to recall his progress on a certain task.

"Now calm down, I already explained things to her so you don't have to worry about your deadline," Takeo said before M-21 could go into full panic mode. "Told me you should just focus on getting well."

That M-21 had been moonlighting as a writer for an online magazine for about eight weeks now was one of three things only Takeo and Tao had the privilege of knowing.

M-21 sagged against the pillows at hearing he was granted a reprieve. "Okay, but I should at least send an email—"

"Nah-ah, Boss said no gadgets for you. Bed rest, remember?" Takeo stood his ground despite the frown that appeared on M-21's face. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at M-21 like he was sizing him up.

"So…apparently you're writing for that magazine Tao likes to read." M-21 had yet to reveal exactly what sort of writing he did and for whom. Having his name listed as M-21's emergency contact person had its perks.

"What a coincidence." M-21 just deadpanned. _What the hell._

"Too bad you guys are using pen names."

"That's for security purposes. Wouldn't want people coming over or sending stuff to houses," M-21 stressed. Never mind there was not a snowball's chance in hell of those happening to a newbie like him.

"And there's this writer he's been following. He'll probably ask if you know that person's real name." Takeo gave the pen name Tao mentioned.

M-21 kept his expression neutral. "I'm not allowed to say. We have a non-disclosure clause."

And there was nothing to tell because he did not know his real name either.

"Right." Takeo folded his hands on his lap or else he would be ruffling M-21's hair again. "Anyway, your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks. So, about that email—"

Takeo leveled a look of reproach at M-21. "What part of 'No' didn't you understand? You're supposed to be resting, you can do something else that's not tiring or stressful."

"Fine, I'll just do some light reading." M-21 faced forward and squinted at the contents of the floor to ceiling bookshelf on the other side of the room.

"So, what will it be?" Takeo was already out of his seat and standing beside the bookshelf.

"The one at the leftmost corner, third shelf."

The book Takeo extracted from said location was rather hefty. "I don't think 'War and Peace' is light reading, M. And I mean that in the figurative and literal sense." He rapped on the hardbound's front cover.

"You hit someone over the head with this and that person will end up with a concussion. Sorry, but I'm going to veto you on this one." Takeo returned the book and with a hand on his chin inspected the rest of M-21's collection.

"You're really building yourself a library here." He started running a finger along the spines of each book. "Hugo isn't light reading, either. And you only have 'Macbeth' from Shakespeare. Now's not a good time for Poe as well. Ah, here's one." Takeo pulled out a paperback and held it for M-21 to see. "'Aesop's Fables'."

"I read that three times already."

"Oh, okay." The book was stowed again and Takeo went on with his hunt until a red and black tome made him pause.

"What do we have here?" His brows wrinkled as he recited, "'Grimm's Fairy Tales'? Just the name already sounds stressful."

M-21 was shaking his head. "I didn't know 'Cinderella' could be so morbid until I read that."

"Then it's definitely a 'no' for this one." Takeo crouched so he could check the lower shelves. A title near the middle of the second shelf caught his attention.

"Wait a sec, is this a tankobon?" He took the item in question and skimmed through random pages. "Isn't this about the kid with a fox demon?"

"Yeah," M-21 replied, "but I don't feel like reading about ninjas right now."

"Nothing you want to read down here?" Takeo found another tankobon for a different title. "Not even this one about death gods in kimono?" He got out a third tankobon. "Or this story about an armored alchemist?"

At M-21's negative response, Takeo straightened and zeroed in on the higher shelves. Something in the fourth shelf made him do a double take. "Whoa, you have 'Genji Monogatari'?"

"I haven't read that yet because my Kanji is atrocious." M-21 said. "You can borrow that if you want."

Takeo had a glow in his eyes as he laid hold of the first of the two volumes that comprised the book. "Are you sure? I mean, I'll be the first to read this instead of you."

"I'm sure. Just no spoilers, please. Can I have the fifth book from the right on the fourth shelf?" M-21 was looking forward to reading that one, but then Kentas and the rest of the werewolves and that crazy Ignes happened.

Takeo found and examined the book M-21 requested. "Hmm, a collection of Korean myths and legends. And it's got illustrations too. I guess this is safe."

He went back to M-21's bedside and placed the hardcover in his outstretched hands, which the latter began to read straight away. Takeo smiled to himself as he settled once more in his seat and opened his own book, likewise keen on immersing himself in a good read.


End file.
